De Historia Stirpium - Leonhart Fuchs

De Historia Stirpium - Leonhart Fuchs – Aboca Museum – Biblioteca Antiqua di Aboca Museum (Sansepolcro, Italy)

Basel (Switzerland) — 1542

From one of the “ Fathers of Botany”: Leonhart Fuchs' long-lasting standard work on herbal medicine, illustrated with more than 500 richly detailed colored woodcuts of native and foreign plants

  1. Illustrated with over 500 colored woodcuts of plants from roots to flowers

  2. The text by the German physician and botanist Leonhart Fuchs (1501–1566) was the standard in Europe for centuries

  3. The “Father of Botany” brings the exciting genesis of biology to life in a fascinating and artful way

De Historia Stirpium - Leonhart Fuchs

Facsimile Copy Available!
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  1. Description
  2. Detail Picture
  3. Single Page
  4. Facsimile Editions (2)
Description
De Historia Stirpium - Leonhart Fuchs

The famous herb book by the German physician and botanist Leonhart Fuchs was the standard botanical work in Europe for centuries. Printed in Basel in 1542, it is wonderfully illustrated with over 500 colored woodcuts, which visually present the plants depicted from their roots to their flowers. This fascinating document from the “Father of Botany” brings the exciting world of the beginnings of biology to life.

De Historia Stirpium - Leonhart Fuchs

Leonhard Fuchs (1501–1566) is considered to be the “father of botany”. The 16th-century German physician and botanist attained fame as the author of the standard botanical reference De Historia Stiripium commantarii insignes. Fuchs additionally composed numerous other scientific works and was active in Munich, Ingolstadt, Ansbach, and above all at the Universität Tübingen, where he initiated one of the first botanical gardens.

The Famous Latin Herb Book

Leonhart Fuch’s famous masterpiece was published in Basel’s Officina Insingriniana in 1542: the fascinating herb book with the title De Historia Stiripium commantarii insignes. This comprehensive botanical work contains botanical and medical descriptions of 343 plants both common and exotic, and is richly illustrated with 517 gorgeously colored woodcuts. These captivatingly naturalistic depictions – executed by gifted masters according to the author’s instructions – presents the plants in every detail, from the roots to the leaves and flowers.

The Basis of his Fame

After the publication of De Historia Stiripium commantarii insignes in Latin, Leonhart Fuchs made his botanical treasure chest accessible to the general public in a German edition: one year later the “New Kreüterbuch” was published, thereby laying the foundation for the dissemination of his work. Subsequently, De Historia Stiripium was widely disseminated across Europe – in numerous translations as well. Nonetheless, Leonhart Fuchs is most authentically tangible as a passionate botanist and plant expert in the work’s original Latin edition.

Codicology

Alternative Titles
On the History of Plants by Leonhart Fuchs
Kräuterbuch des Leonhart Fuchs
Size / Format
898 pages / 35.0 × 28.5 cm
Date
1542
Illustrations
517 xylographic illustrations of 343 species
Artist / School

Available facsimile editions:
De Historia Stirpium - Leonhart Fuchs – Aboca Museum – Biblioteca Antiqua di Aboca Museum (Sansepolcro, Italy)
Aboca Museum – Sansepolcro, 2003
Limited Edition: not limited

De Historia Stirpium - Leonhart Fuchs – Aboca Museum – Biblioteca Antiqua di Aboca Museum (Sansepolcro, Italy)
Aboca Museum – Sansepolcro, 2017
Limited Edition: not limited
Detail Picture

De Historia Stirpium – Leonhart Fuchs

Vitus Rudolph Speckle

Although Leonhart Fuchs was the mastermind behind this famous botanical work, a collaboration between various artists and artisans was needed in order to transfer the ideas from the mind of Fuchs to the page. First, Albrecht Meyer made realistic botanical drawings free of unnecessary artistic embellishment based upon Fuchs’ work. Second, Heinrich Füllmaurer converted the drawings to woodblock form. Finally, Vitus Rudolph Speckle, pictured here, cut the blocks and actually printed the drawings.

De Historia Stirpium - Leonhart Fuchs – Aboca Museum – Biblioteca Antiqua di Aboca Museum (Sansepolcro, Italy)
Single Page

De Historia Stirpium - Leonhart Fuchs

Author Portrait

At the beginning of the work, portraits of all those involved in its creation are presented in masterfully engraved woodcuts that have been lovingly colored. Here we see the author and mastermind of the work, Leonhart Fuchs, holding a flowering plant. His portrait is accompanied by some marginal notes written in the hand of one of the codex’s previous owners.

Fuchs is rosy-cheeked, sports a stylish beard, and gazes casually at the margin. He is dressed in the typical attire of the 16th century: a ruffled shirt and tights, a soft brimmed hat, and an oversized brocade coat lined with fur. Thus presented as an idealized Renaissance scholar, the portrait suggests that Fuchs already anticipated the importance and impact his work would have for botany.

De Historia Stirpium - Leonhart Fuchs – Aboca Museum – Biblioteca Antiqua di Aboca Museum (Sansepolcro, Italy)
Facsimile Editions

#1 De Historia Stirpium di Leonhart Fuchs

Aboca Museum – Sansepolcro, 2003

Publisher: Aboca Museum – Sansepolcro, 2003
Limited Edition: not limited
Binding: Wine-colored imitation leather embossed with reliefs of Fuchs and his collaborators.
Commentary: 1 volume by Duilio Contin and Alessandro Menghini
Language: Italian
1 volume: Exact reproduction of the original document (extent, color and size) Reproduction of the entire original document as detailed as possible (scope, format, colors). The binding may not correspond to the original or current document binding.
Facsimile Copy Available!
Price Category: €
(under 1,000€)

#2 De Historia Stirpium di Leonhart Fuchs

Aboca Museum – Sansepolcro, 2017

Publisher: Aboca Museum – Sansepolcro, 2017
Limited Edition: not limited
Reproduction of the entire original document as detailed as possible (scope, format, colors). The binding may not correspond to the original or current document binding.
Facsimile Copy Available!
Price Category: €
(under 1,000€)
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