Tacuinum Sanitatis - Codex Paris

This beautiful medieval medical handbook was produced in the Rhineland in the mid-15th century
The book is based on the medical tractate of the 11th century Arab-Christian doctor Ibn Butlan (died ca. 1069)
Each page is decorated with an elaborate miniature and accompanied by a clarifying text in Latin and German

Tacuinum Sanitatis - Codex Paris

Ms. Lat 9333 Bibliothèque nationale de France (Paris, France)

Description

Tacuinum Sanitatis - Codex Paris

“Taqwim as-sihha” roughly translates to “Tabular Overview of Health” and, in its Latinized form, became a literary genre in its own right during the Late Middle Ages in Europe. It all began with the Taqwim as-sihha by the Iraqi physician Ibn Butlan (d. ca. 1069), who, around 1050, compiled not only a list of foods such as camel meat and melons but also reflected in his work on the health effects of wind, sleep, and clothing. These tables, which were originally not illuminated, were translated into Latin at the court of King Manfred of Sicily (1258–1266) and subsequently merged with the ancient tradition of richly illuminated herbals to form a new type of book: the Tacuinum Sanitatis or Theatrum Sanitatis. Most of the surviving manuscripts with extensive illumination originate from northern Italy, particularly Lombardy, and were produced in the 14th and early 15th centuries. The Paris Tacuinum Codex can therefore be regarded as a Rhenish special case within this tradition and illustrates the widespread circulation of this book genre. 206 miniatures from the mid-15th century bring the diverse health factors to life for their viewers, presented in the style of the Northern Alpine Late Gothic and accompanied by German translations.

Tacuinum Sanitatis – Paris Codex

In the 11th century, the doctor Ibn Butlan composed the medical work Taqwim as-sihha. Arising from the foundations of this work is the Latin book series Tacuinum Sanitatis. These were exquisite illustrated codices from Vienna, Rome, Lüttich, and Paris. The Paris Codex contains particularly fine and appealing miniatures. The manuscript is a medical guidebook with suggestions for a healthy lifestyle. Each page of the work is illuminated with an elaborate miniature, which is accompanied by a clarifying text. The lordly picture book is found today in the French National Library in Paris.

Medicine in the Middle Ages

Ibn Butlan’s health guide is an interesting and historically significant source about medicine and everyday life in the Middle Ages. In his mind, various elements were important for a healthy lifestyle: proper diet, activity and enough sleep, and a balanced emotional state. He recommended a life in harmony with nature, which guarantees people health and well-being. The miniatures depict typical medieval dishes as well as production of various foodstuffs and important material goods.

Inventive Illustration

In the miniatures of the Paris Codex, the gifted but unfortunately anonymous illuminator could live out his full, fantastic power of imagination. He painted pictures of a confectionary, in which one could buy the most beloved sweets of the Middle Ages, with colorful vessels and sparkling glass bottles. Other miniatures show women producing cheese, noodles, or butter and baking healthy black bread. He depicted merchants selling salt, poultry, oil or candles, and silk fabric. His charming illustrations describe a boundless spectrum of medieval everyday life.

An Influential Work

The Arabic codex by Ibn Butlan was first translated into Latin in the 13th century at the court of King Manfred of Sicily in Palermo, and in doing so made it accessible to a huge readership. In Lombardy at the end of the 14th century, the tractate was furnished with an elaborate and luxurious illustration cycle. From here the codex was widely disseminated over the boundaries of Italy. The Parisian edition arose in the Rhineland and contains some of the highest quality miniatures of German Gothic book art.

Codicology

Alternative Titles: Tacuinum Sanitatis
Theatrum Sanitatis
Type: Manuscript on parchment
Size / Format: 212 pages / 35.5 × 22.5 cm
Origin: Germany
Date: mid-15th century
Epochs: Late Middle Ages Onwards
Style: Gothic
Genre: Medicine
Natural History / Bestiaries
Botany
Language: Latin
German
Illustrations: 206 three-quarter-page miniatures and a coat of arms
Content: Latin, abridged adaptation of the Taqwim as-sihha: Table of contents, preface, main section consisting of dominant miniatures with brief medical explanations of the respective “materia medica” below
Artist / School: Ibn Butlan (author)
Previous Owners: Count Louis of Wurtemberg and his wife, Matilda, the daughter of Louis of Bavaria, the Palatine count of Renania

Available facsimile editions:

Detail Picture

Tacuinum Sanitatis - Codex Paris

Lamprey Fishing

Resembling an eel, the lamprey is a jawless fish that was a beloved element of ancient Roman cuisine. They were popular among the nobility of medieval Europe, especially during Lent when meat was prohibited by religious law, and a favorite food of King Henry I of England. The text states that they “fatten and nourish greatly”, and indeed they are shown here being caught and then kept alive in a barrel full of water so that they can be consumed while still fresh.

Single Page

Tacuinum Sanitatis - Codex Paris

Butchering a Pig

This scene from a butcher’s shop is presented as though the beholder is looking through the front door of the green, tile-roofed building. A large pig carcass is hung upside down by its hind legs next to a leg quarter and another cut of meat. The butcher’s apprentice, a blonde young man dressed in a blue tunic with pink tights, stands ready with a cleaver in hand.

The butcher, dressed in a green hat and tunic with blue tights and knife in hand, begins to carve the carcass up. Its organs have already been removed and the slit in its throat indicates that its blood has already been drained, with the last of it dripping from the pig’s mouth. The text warns against eating meat alone because it will cause “obstructions”, i.e. constipation.