Sara Marrel, seated at a table and engaged in embroidery, 1658

About the Work

Johann Andreas Graff, who would later be Maria Sibylla Merian’s husband, was a journeyman in the workshop of Jacob Marrel, Merian’s stepfather, for several years. Here he drew the likeness of her somewhat older stepsister Sara Marrel at her evening embroidery. She appears to be working after a pattern: a sheet of paper spread out over her embroidery frame. Maria Sibylla would go on to publish floral compositions suited and intended for such purposes.