Matthaeus Platearius - Herbolaire Estense - 2008

Herbolaire Estense or Grant Herbier - Est. 28 = alfa M. 5. 9
Anastatic edition

Preserved in the Estense University Library of Modena

Copy number: 274

The Estense Herbarium, also known as Grant Herbier, is an extraordinary botanical manuscript from the second half of the 15th century, kept at the Estense University Library of Modena (signature: Est. 28 = alfa M.5.9). It is one of the richest and most refined illustrated herbals of the late medieval era, a precious testimony to the meeting between medical knowledge, natural science, and the art of illumination.
Redacted in medieval French, the work collects hundreds of botanical entries arranged alphabetically, each accompanied by a watercolor illustration that depicts the described plant. The images, of high quality and great stylistic variety, are often enriched with narrative and fantastical elements: peasants, animals, mythical creatures and pastoral landscapes populate the pages with vivacity, making the manuscript not only an herbal treatise but also a window onto the symbolic and visual world of the Quattrocento.

Each entry reports detailed descriptions of the plant’s healing properties, preparation and administration methods, and sometimes even astrological references, in accordance with the medical theories then prevailing. The work reflects an encyclopedic approach, in which ancient knowledge blends with direct observation and with a decorative aesthetics of striking impact.

The Estense Herbarium is much more than a botanical treatise: it is an exceptionally rich cultural document that narrates the worldview of the medieval man, suspended between scientific knowledge, therapeutic tradition, and imagination.

The edition includes the commentary edited by Ernesto Milano.

Trident Publishing House.