Art History Animalia

Maria Sibylla Merian was born #OTD (German, 2 Apr 1647 – 13 Jan 1717).

Here are a few of her works that were recently on display at the “Making Her Mark: A History of Women Art in Europe, 1400-1800” exhibition at Baltimore Museum of Art :

1. “Pineapple with Cockroaches” in Dissertatio de Generatione et Metamorphosibus Insectorum Surinamensium... (Dissertation on the generations and metamorphosis of Surinamese insects), 1719

Bound volume of hand-colored engravings and etchings

“This ripening pineapple's sweet aroma attracts a swarm of cockroaches. Maria Sibylla Merian observed this interaction during a three-year, self-financed voyage with her daughter Dorothea Maria to the South American country of Suriname, then a Dutch colony, in 1699. While there, Merian studied the native plant and insect life, learning their uses and behavior from enslaved African and Indigenous guides working at the sugar plantation where she stayed. In her notes, Merian characterized the pineapple as "the most outstanding of all edible fruits" and cockroaches as "the most infamous of all insects in America."

Merian's illustrations innovatively presented insect life cycles, habitats, and the broader ecological dynamic. After returning to the Netherlands, Merian published an illustrated compilation, creating one of the most important natural history publications of the time.

Her daughters Dorothea Maria Graff and Johanna Helena Herolt-Graff continued to issue editions after Merian's death, such as this deluxe version, contributing to their mother's foundational reputation in entomology.”

2. Frontispiece of Der Raupen wunderbare Verwandelung und sonderbare Blumen-Nahrung (The Wondrous Transformation of Caterpillars and their Curious Diet of Flowers), 1679-83

Bound volume w/ hand colored engraved illustrations

3. Convolvulus and Metamorphosis of the Convolvulus Hawk Moth, c.1670-1683

Watercolor w/ touches of opaque watercolor over indications in black chalk or graphite on vellum

“Maria Sibylla Merian had a close relationship with caterpillars, rearing them from egg to adult in her home over a decade. This engaging illustration of the life cycle of the convolvulus hawk moth on the wall above is the result of her sustained observations and her exceptional artistic talent. Creating an intertwined vignette of insect and plant life, Merian constructed a life cycle image that became a standard in scientific illustration and shaped the field of entomology. Her findings and illustrations contributed to a foundational reference text on insect metamorphosis, Der Raupen wunderbare Verwandlung und sonderbare Blumen-Nahrung, on display here.”

#Woodensday:

Peter Wadaymu Ganambarr (1930-1997) - Yolngu, Ngaymil clan, Dhuwa moiety

Bark Painting showing Wititj at Garrimala, c.1968-71

Galiwin'Ku, Australia

Bark, pigments 56 x 23.8 x 0.8 cm

On display at Baltimore Museum of Art

Wititj = the sacred rainbow serpent (olive python)

#FrogFriday:

Double-Spout Bottle Nasca, Peru, South Coast, 3rd century Earthenware, polychrome slip paint 5 × 4 × 3 1/2 in. (12.7 × 10.2 × 8.9 cm.) BMA 2016.203

on display at Baltimore Museum of Art

A pair of good doggos for #TwoForTuesday:

Angelica Kauffmann (Swiss, 1741-1807) Telemachus Returning to Penelope, c. 1771 Oil on canvas

On display at “Making Her Mark: A History of Women Artists in Europe, 1400-1800” exhibition at Baltimore Museum of Art

“Penelope greets her son Telemachus after several years of separation as the other members of the household joyfully react. Angelica Kauffmann's portrayal of a scene from the ancient Greek epic The Odyssey (written c. 800 BCE) translates a distant literary event into a gracefully staged homecoming narrative that highlights a mother's perspective.

This painting, shown in the 1771 exhibition of Royal Academy in London, signals Kauffmann's achievement of widespread professional success according to male-dominated standards that held historical narratives as the most noble and intellectual of subjects. Just two years before, she became a founding member of the Royal Academy, which counted her and Mary Moser as its only female members.”

#TextileTuesday:

18th c. French bed hanging - lots of cool fantastical birds & dragons but check out the neat trio of rhino, elephant, & camel in the center! Also a bonus cameleopard (giraffe).

Unidentified French Embroiderer(s) Bed Hanging 18th century Linen ground, wool and silk embroidery threads Baltimore Museum of Art 1952.148b

On display at “Making Her Mark: A History of #WomenArtists in Europe, 1400-1800” exhibition at BMA

#FishFriday:

1. Yamamoto Shuko Barrel-shaped Vase with High-Relief Fish Design [Striped Angelfish] 1920-30 Kaketani porcelain BMA

2. Ando Cloisonné Company Box Decorated with Swimming Dragon Fish early 20th c. Patinated metal, moriage enamel BMA

#WatercolorWednesday:

Barbara Regina Dietzsch (German, 1706-1783) Narcissus & Blue Morning Glory, c. 1760 Watercolor and opaque watercolor on vellum On display at “Making Her Mark: A History of Women Artists in Europe, 1400-1800” exhibition at Baltimore Museum of Art

“Butterflies and moths with shimmering wings alight on delicately painted leaves; shiny beetles traverse plants in various stages of blooming. Barbara Regina Dietzsch's flowers not only convey closely observed details of the plant's structure and hues, but also present a miniature drama of insect activity. This combination of realism and narrative is typical of her flower studies, for which she became internationally known during her lifetime.

Born into an artistic family in Nuremberg, Germany, a university city with a robust scientific community, Dietzsch specialized in the portrayal of flowers and animals, and trained her sister Margaretha Barbara to paint similar subject matter.”

#WatercolorWednesday:

Sarah Stone (British, c. 1760-1844)

Blue and Yellow Macaw, c.1789

Watercolor heightened with opaque watercolor & glazes, with black ink border on paper

on display at “Making Her Mark: A History of #WomenArtists in Europe, 1400-1800” exhibition at Baltimore Museum of Art

“The brilliant blue and gold plumage of this large South American parrot made it especially appealing to European naturalists and explorers, who amassed large specimen collections, some of which became museums. Within this context, Sarah Stone built a career as a painter of birds and animals.

As a teenager, Stone was hired by the collector Ashton Lever (1729-1788) to visually document the holdings of his Leverian Museum (now dispersed) in England, which included Indigenous artifacts and animals acquired by British expeditions to the Americas, East Asia, and Australia. Stone's illustrations for the Leverian established her reputation and launched her career as an illustrator and exhibitor at the Royal Academy of London and Society of Artists.”

For #TextileTuesday:

Embroidered Buratto Lace, Italian, 1600s Linen, silk, metallic thread with gauze weave on display at “Making Her Mark: A History of Women Artists in Europe, 1400-1800” exhibition at Baltimore Museum of Art

Check out the pretty parrot! Not identifiable as a real-life species, but its overall shape & coloration suggests an Amazon Parrot (Amazona spp.), which by this time were popping up all over European art.

#TextileTuesday: look closely, it’s a “needlepainting!” A favorite piece from the “Making Her Mark: A History of #WomenArtists in Europe, 1400-1800” exhibition at Baltimore Museum of Art:

Mary Linwood (British, 1755-1845) after George Stubbs (British, 1724-1806) Tygress, c. 1798 Worsted wool needlework

“The vibrant copper, red, and green passages in this copy after George Stubb's painting Tygress are rendered not in paint but stitched in dyed wool thread. By the 1780s, Mary Linwood had become famous for her ‘needlepaintings,’ which she exhibited at the Society of Artists in London.

Later, she opened her own public exhibition of her works that debuted in London and then toured to cities in Scotland and Ireland; in 1806, she opened her own gallery in Leicester Square in London, where this work was shown. Her gallery remained a major attraction for nearly forty years.”

#TwoForTuesday on #TilesOnTuesday:

Tile Decorated with a Fountain between Two Parrots, 1580s

Iznik kilns, Bursa Province, Türkiye (Ottoman Empire)

Fritware with white, green, blue, red, and transparent glazes

on display at Baltimore Museum of Art

Maria Theresia van Thielen (Flemish, 1640-1706) Still Life with Parrot, 1661 oil on canvas on display at the “Making Her Mark: A History of Women Artists in Europe, 1400-1800” exhibition at Baltimore Museum of Art

🆔 The parrot looks like the subspecies of Turquoise-Fronted Amazon (Amazona aestiva aestiva) native to E. Brazil - perhaps an import from the Dutch Brazil colony?

PS - Some of her works have likely been misattributed to her father, but fortunately she signed this one, right below the parrot!

#TwoForTuesday + #TurtleTuesday:

A Pair of Vases: #Turtles with Jack-in-the-Pulpit*, c. 1879

Designer: Karl H. L. Müller (1820-1887)

Manufacturer: Union Porcelain Works, NYC

Porcelain, under- and overglaze decoration

Baltimore Museum of Art 1997.I27.I, 1997.I27.2

*likely misidentified; appears to be a pitcher plant, and a similar vase by the same company at another museum identifies it as such - see photo & notes below

Update #1: there is a single one of these vases on display at the Met too:

Update #2: this version at the Philadelphia Museum of Art ID’s it as a pitcher plant, as has a frog instead of a turtle:

#TilesOnTuesday + #TwoForTuesday:

Tile Decorated with a Fountain between Two Parrots [Iznik] Bursa province, Ottoman Empire (Türkiye), c.1580s Fritware w/ white, green, blue, red & transparent glazes 10 3/16 × 9 15/16 in (25.8 × 25.3 cm) Baltimore Museum of Art 1941.97

Johann Heinrich Otto (American, Pennsylvania Dutch, c.1733-c.1800) Fraktur of a Parrot, c. 1785 Ink & watercolor, 208 × 165 mm (8 3/16 × 6 1/2 in.) Baltimore Museum of Art 1967.76.3

The Striding Lion Sector 10-Q, Daphne, Antioch, Syria (present-day Turkey), 5th c. Stone & lime mortar mosaic Baltimore Museum of Art display

“The Striding Lion is a curious title for this mosaic because the lion appears to be lunging forward on his hind legs rather than striding on all four legs. The title makes sense, however, when we discover that the panel is but a fragment of a much larger composition. In its original state, the lion would have occupied the center of a floor, 28 feet long by 14 feet wide, and would have been oriented horizontally (as seen in the photograph below). Another fragment of the same mosaic pavement may be seen on the wall to the left.

This type of mosaic is called a carpet-pattern mosaic because its grid-like trellis pattern resembles carpets woven in the Persian Empire. The original mosaic, divided into 86 sections, contained images of fruit, flowers, birds, fish, antelopes, and even pumpkins to suggest Antioch's great abundance of flora and fauna. On a deeper level, the imagery may refer to political and social changes occurring in Antioch during the 5th century. The prominence of the lion, a Persian metaphor for strength, implies the Persian culture was influencing a society that had always considered itself part of the Roman Empire. The peacock, a Christian symbol for resurrection, may allude to the increasing strength and power of the Christian Church.”

#HumpDay anyone? 😉

Pair of Southern Yellow Cattle (Zebu) China (probably Shaanxi province), Tang dynasty (618-907), late 7th century earthenware w/ traces of pigment Baltimore Museum of Art

“Southern Yellow cattle, a Chinese breed depicted here, were primarily used as draught animals to pull farm implements and carts, including those that transported coffins and other furnishings to tombs. Usually yellow or brown in color, the breed is distinguished by a prominent hump and long dewlap, the fold of loose skin hanging from an animal's throat.”