German naturalist and painter, admired by scholars and intellectuals from Linnaeus to Goethe.

Female, divorced with two daughters, 52 years old: even in the most cultured circles of European society at the end of the 17th century, talent was of little value in redeeming an inexorably minority female condition. Aware of her own value as a painter, illustrator and naturalist, the German Maria Sibylla Merian was able to turn centuries-old prejudices and constraints to her advantage, in a way that still appears astonishing today, thanks to her tireless commitment, made up of rigour, patience, vision and study. She embarked, at the end of June 1699, on a sailing ship belonging to the Dutch West India Company, which would take her from Amsterdam to the colony of Surinam, for an expedition that was at once artistic, scientific and commercial: to bear the costs, she sold everything she owned. In the unknown lands of the New World, she collects insects and other animals, which she observes and draws, meticulously documenting what matters most to her, namely the process of transformation. Snakes, iguanas, toads, caterpillars and butterflies, together with the plants they feed on, give life to marvellous plates of watercolour engravings: a precious corpus for the advancement of natural sciences, which has captured the interest of collectors, scholars and intellectuals throughout Europe, from Linnaeus to Goethe. Gifted, daring and determined, Maria Sybilla Merian offers us the example of an exceptional destiny, fulfilled by forcing social conventions, reinventing the codes of her profession, realising a happy synthesis of art and science.

Brunella Torresin
is a cultural journalist. After having been an editor at 'La Repubblica' for a long time, she now contributes to the cultural pages and inserts of the national edition of the newspaper. She is the author of translations and writings on theatre history. She lives and works in Bologna.