Fascination of Medical Plants

Fascination of Medical Plants

One of the most famous texts concerning medicine and botany of the Middle Ages in a precious luxury edition: De simplicibus medicinis by Matthaeus Platearius. This work by the famous physician from the Salerno school listed 500 plants, herbs, and other remedies with instructions for their production, application, and effect. In his precious manuscript, originating ca. 1500 in France, the French translation of the text is accompanied by gorgeous illustrations, depictions of the remedies are also presented. Handsome gilded initials additionally embellish this edition and make its standing as a gem of illumination clear!

The French Translation of a Medieval Standard Work

Two herbaria from the 15th century are stored in the Biblioteca Estense Universitaria in Modena. One of them is the famous Herbolaire, also known as the Grant Herbier. This wonderful manuscript is a comprehensive illustrated edition of the medical-botanical text of De simplicibus medicinis by Platerius. This scientific codex makes up the foundation of a French translation with the title Livre des simples medicinis, which originates from France in the second half of the 15th century.

A Physician

Matthaeus Platearius was a famous physician from the Salerno school. Emulating a Dioscorides, he composed a botanical medical textbook that became one of the most famous medical books of the Middle Ages: De simplicibus medicinis (Of Simple Remedies). There are 500 efficacious plants and remedies in it with comprehensive information about their production, application, effect, and other themes and is arranged alphabetically for a better overview.

The Marvelous Illustrations

This particularly impressive edition of the famous text was surely the commission of a high-ranking personality. Each of the 340 pages is gorgeously illustrated, sometimes even with multiple depictions. The plants and remedies represented were realistically illustrated with detailed depictions of roots, leaves, fruits, and flowers. Additionally, animals, minerals, and figurative scenes of rural work, which depict the mining of sulfur or the collecting of aloe branches, can be found. Precious small Fleuronné initials, sometimes even accentuated with gold leaf, round out the impressive work!