# Tulip, Two Branches of Myrtle and Two Shells

- By: Maria Sibylla Merian (Frankfurt am Main, 1647–1717)
- Date: 1657 - 1717
- Medium: parchment (animal material)
- Classification: drawing
- Dimensions: height 336 mm x width 240 mm
- Credit line: Purchased with the support of the Vereniging Rembrandt
- Museum: [Rijksmuseum](https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/object/RP-T-1899-A-4295--77c3f3cfb29403b3dc69191a293e2a50)
- Rights: [Public Domain Mark](http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/)
- Picture: https://iiif.micr.io/nmbVl/full/!1920,1080/0/default.jpg
- Who can see it: Little Ones profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

This sheet is likely a work by Maria Sibylla Merian, a celebrated artist and natural scientist. She struck a pleasing balance between the artistic and the scientific. The peeled-back tulip petal overlapping the myrtle branch on the right adds a sense of depth and dynamism to the overall flat arrangement meant for scholarly observation.