Merianin’s interest in the transformation of silkworms began at an early age and soon merged with her  strong artistic inclination. Born in Frankfurt in 1647 into a family of artists, engravers, and publishers, from an early age she had a large stock of images at her disposal thanks to the collections of prints, engraving plates, books, and paintings owned and produced by her publisher father, Matthaeus Merian (who died when she was three years old), and then by her stepfather Jacob Marrel, a still-life and flower painter who was an important figure in her artistic education. Her familiarity with the world of art and printing continued during her years in Nuremberg, where she moved in 1668 with her husband Andreas Graff, an illustrator and publisher, who also published Merianin’s first books.
The showcase contains works by her father, other volumes and pictures from books that presumably belonged to the rich family library.