Columella - De Re Rustica

The Council of Constance (1414–18) was a famous ecumenical council resolving the Western Schism that left European allegiances divided between pope and anti-pope since 1378. Aside from resolving the great religious-political crisis, an important discovery was made in the course of those four years: the complete text of the twelve-book De Re Rustica by Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella (4 – ca. 70), the most important source on Roman agriculture.

A Roman Farming Manual

On Rural Affairs was found by Poggio Bracciolini (1380–1459) and his assistant Bartolomeo di Montepulciano as they explored the libraries of Switzerland and France. The books are divided among the following themes: soils, viticulture, fruits, olive trees, big animals, small animals, fish and fowl, wild animals and bee-keeping, gardens, personnel management, calendars, and household management. The work was reproduced in numerous manuscripts, including the sublime specimen at hand, which originated in the first half of the 15th century, probably in Florence judging by the frontispiece. A coat of arms indicates that this codex was once owned by Pope Sixtus IV (1414–84), a great bibliophile. The beautiful white parchment pages were adorned with large, historiated initials, refined miniatures, and finely woven frames reminiscent of Insular Illumination. The illustrations directly and artfully reflect the content of the text, indicating that the illuminator worked closely with the scribe. A truly magnificent union of Ancient Roman agriculture and Renaissance Florentine illumination!