(German, 1647?1717)

Common or Spectacled Caiman with South American False Coral Snake, circa 1705-1710, from a posthumous 18th century edition of Dissertatio de Generatione et Metamorphasibus Insectorum Surinamensium, later hand colored engraving, sheet 20-1/2 x 14-1/2 in.; modern ripple molding frame, 33-3/8 x 27-7/8 in.

Note: In a note from the Royal Collection Trust on the original watercolor of this subject they state, "Merian collected many reptiles during her visit to Suriname (1699-1701) and was planning to publish a volume on Surinamese reptiles if her book on Surinamese insects (Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium, 1705) proved popular. Although the Metamorphosis was a success, her plan for a second book was never realized. Posthumous editions of the Metamorphosis, however, included a version of this image alongside the sixty plates which Merian had published." (see: https://www.rct.uk/collection/921218/common-or-spectacled-caiman-with-south-american-false-coral-snake)

Provenance: A du Pont Family Collection

hinged in, small loss in margin and pencil inscription lower right, some handling grime, hand coloring a fantastic interpretation of the original, small stains,