The artwork titled “Plate #23- Musa paradisiaca, Caligo teucer and Cnemidophorus lemniscatus” is a creation by Maria Sibylla Merian, dated 1705. Associated with the Naturalism art movement, this piece falls within the animal painting genre. The artwork is currently housed in the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, located in Brunswick, Maine, United States.
In the artwork, a detailed and vibrant depiction of a natural scene is showcased. A yellow banana (Musa paradisiaca) serves as the focal point, surrounded by various stages of butterfly life, showcasing caterpillars, pupae, and adult butterflies (Caligo teucer). Additionally, a lizard (Cnemidophorus lemniscatus) is intricately portrayed entwined around the banana plant, adding to the compositional and ecological narrative of the scene. The meticulous attention to texture and color reflects Merian’s dedication to scientific accuracy and artistic elegance, characteristic of the Naturalism movement.
