The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 24, 2024

Convolvulus and Metamorphosis of the Convolvulus Hawk Moth

Convolvulus and Metamorphosis of the Convolvulus Hawk Moth

c. 1670–83
(German, active Netherlands, 1647–1717)
Netherlands
watercolor with touches of opaque watercolor over indications in black chalk or graphite on vellum
Sheet: 29 x 37.2 cm (11 7/16 x 14 5/8 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 2019.9
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

The artist who drew this life cycle of the European pink-spotted hawk moth from egg through caterpillar, pupa, and adult insect reared caterpillars in her home for 10 years before writing and illustrating a definitive text on metamorphosis.

Description

The artist Maria Sibylla Merian was one of the most important entomologists of the 17th century. Her studies of caterpillars, which she reared herself, contributed to knowledge of the life cycles of numerous species. Trained as a miniature painter by her stepfather, she combined her artistic talent with her scientific interest, creating images such as this one, which portrays the life cycle of the European pink-spotted hawk moth as well as its favorite food, the morning glory. Merian added additional caterpillar species to the sheet to create a pleasing and astonishingly detailed composition.
  • July 7, 1999
    Sotheby's, London, England
    1999-2019
    Private Collection, Amsterdam, Netherlands
    March 4, 2019
    the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Reitsma, Ella, and Sandrine A. Ulenberg. Maria Sibylla Merian & Daughters: Women of Art and Science. Amsterdam: Rembrandt House Museum, 2008. p. 110-11
    Peters, Emily. “Acquisitions 2019: Drawings.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 60, no. 2 (March/April 2020): 20-21. Reproduced and Mentioned: P. 20.
    Griswold, William M. “Recent Acquisitions (2013-20) at the Cleveland Museum of Art.” Burlington Magazine 163, no. 1414 (January 2021): 93-104. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 96, no. 6
    Banta, Andaleeb Badiee, Alexa Greist, and Theresa Kutasz Christensen. Making Her Mark: A History of Women Artists in Europe, 1400-1800. Fredericton, New Brunswick : Goose Lane Editions ; Toronto, Ontario : AGO ; Baltimore, Maryland : Baltimore Museum of Art, 2023. Mentioned, pp. 111, 227, illus. (detail), p. 111, fig. 9, cat. 167, p. 230, illus., p. 230.
  • Making Her Mark: A History of Women Artists in Europe, 1400-1800. The Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD (co-organizer) (October 1, 2023-January 7, 2024) https://artbma.org/exhibition/making-her-mark-a-history-of-women-artists-in-europe-1400-1800; Art Gallery of Ontario, Ontario M5T 1G4, Canada (organizer) (co-organizer) (March 27-July 1, 2024) https://ago.ca/exhibitions/making-her-mark-history-women-artists-europe-1400-1800.
  • {{cite web|title=Convolvulus and Metamorphosis of the Convolvulus Hawk Moth|url=false|author=Maria Sibylla Merian|year=c. 1670–83|access-date=24 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2019.9