Plan your visit. 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016.

Plan your visit. 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016.

Three Mice Nibbling Fruit and Nuts

Attributed to Johanna Helena Herolt
1668-1723

Three Mice Nibbling Fruit and Nuts

ca. 1690-1710
12 13/16 x 10 9/16 inches (326 x 268 mm)
Watercolor and opaque watercolor on vellum.
1979.37

Purchased on the Fellows Fund, with the special assistance of Mrs. Carl Stern and Mrs. Lawrence Hughes.

Notes
Johanna Helena Herolt, Maria Sibylla Merian's (1647-1717) eldest daughter, was also a talented artist. She often collaborated with her mother and worked in a similar style, which can make it difficult to distinguish between the two women's drawings. In this sheet, which was previously attributed to Merian, the artist depicted mice nibbling on nuts and acorns, bringing together the plant and animal kingdoms. Although the three scenes are completely discrete, the dynamic composition imbues the image with a narrative quality. The white mouse gazes directly at the viewer, which creates a sense of engagement unusual for a scientific illustration. A closely related sheet, signed by both Herolt and Merian, is in a private collection. (For a reproduction, see Sam Segal, "Merian as a Flower Painter," in Kurt Wettengl, ed., Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717): Artist and Naturalist (Frankfurt am Main, 1998), p. 82.) Another version of this subject is in the Fondation Custodia, Paris (inv. no. 7535).
Associated names
Merian, Maria Sibylla, 1647-1717, Formerly attributed to.
Knight, F. W. A., former owner.
Stern, Anne Bigelow, donor.
Hughes, Lawrence, Mrs., donor.
Bibliography
Ryskamp, Charles, ed. Nineteenth Report to the Fellows of the Pierpont Morgan Library, 1978-1980. New York : Pierpont Morgan Library, 1981, p. 204.
Classification
Century Drawings
School
Department