Pietro Andrea Mattioli (1501–1577) - Botanical Study of Tamarisk – Engraving (16th Century)
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Selected by Volker Riepenhausen
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Pietro Andrea Mattioli, Botanical Study of Tamarisk – Engraving (16th Century), a woodcut with later hand colouring, 36 × 23 cm, French edition from the 16th century, in good condition.
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Description from the seller
This Renaissance botanical leaf depicts the tamarisk, a graceful shrub of Mediterranean and Near Eastern coasts and riverbanks. The illustration shows its slender, arching branches clothed in fine, feathery foliage and tipped with sprays of small reddish blossoms. Small insects scattered around the plant enliven the composition and reflect the decorative inventiveness of early printed herbals. The image is set within printed French commentary on the same sheet, which discusses the plant's description and the medicinal virtues attributed to it by ancient and Renaissance authorities. The tamarisk was valued in early medicine for its astringent properties, and its bark, leaves and galls were used in various remedies. Hand colouring brings out the delicate pink of the flowers against the soft green of the foliage. The leaf is from a French edition of Pietro Andrea Mattioli's celebrated commentaries on the De Materia Medica of Dioscorides. Mattioli's herbal combined the classical text with extensive new commentary and a rich programme of woodcut illustrations, becoming the standard botanical and pharmaceutical reference of Renaissance Europe. French translations, printed in Lyon, brought the work to a wide audience of physicians and apothecaries.
Pietro Andrea Mattioli (1501–1577), born in Siena, was one of the most prominent physicians and naturalists of the Italian Renaissance. He trained in medicine at the University of Padua and worked for many years in Trento and Gorizia before entering the service of the Habsburgs as court physician in Prague and Vienna. Mattioli corresponded with scholars across Europe and received plant specimens and drawings from many of them, which enriched successive editions of his herbal. His commentaries on Dioscorides, translated into Latin, French, German and Czech, shaped the study of medicinal plants for generations.
Artist or Maker: Pietro Andrea Mattioli
Dimensions: Approximately 36 cm x 23 cm.
Medium: Woodcut with later hand colouring.
Date: 16th Century.
SKU: PLA-0930-2
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Shipping & Combined Purchases:
We are happy to combine multiple purchases into one shipment, helping you save on shipping costs. Please contact us before making payment so that we can calculate and adjust the shipping cost accordingly.
All items are professionally packed and shipped from France by Mail Boxes Etc. (MBE) on behalf of Dahlströms Rare Prints OÜ, Estonia.
Every shipment is fully insured and sent exclusively via UPS or FedEx, with tracking provided after dispatch.
We handle every shipment with the utmost care, ensuring that our antique prints, maps and rare books arrive safely and in the condition described.
Seller's Story
Dahlströms Rare Prints OÜ specialises in original antique prints, maps, natural history, botanical illustrations, decorative engravings and rare books from the 16th to the 20th century. We source our items from private collections, auctions and libraries across Europe. All items are carefully described, professionally packed and shipped from France.
This Renaissance botanical leaf depicts the tamarisk, a graceful shrub of Mediterranean and Near Eastern coasts and riverbanks. The illustration shows its slender, arching branches clothed in fine, feathery foliage and tipped with sprays of small reddish blossoms. Small insects scattered around the plant enliven the composition and reflect the decorative inventiveness of early printed herbals. The image is set within printed French commentary on the same sheet, which discusses the plant's description and the medicinal virtues attributed to it by ancient and Renaissance authorities. The tamarisk was valued in early medicine for its astringent properties, and its bark, leaves and galls were used in various remedies. Hand colouring brings out the delicate pink of the flowers against the soft green of the foliage. The leaf is from a French edition of Pietro Andrea Mattioli's celebrated commentaries on the De Materia Medica of Dioscorides. Mattioli's herbal combined the classical text with extensive new commentary and a rich programme of woodcut illustrations, becoming the standard botanical and pharmaceutical reference of Renaissance Europe. French translations, printed in Lyon, brought the work to a wide audience of physicians and apothecaries.
Pietro Andrea Mattioli (1501–1577), born in Siena, was one of the most prominent physicians and naturalists of the Italian Renaissance. He trained in medicine at the University of Padua and worked for many years in Trento and Gorizia before entering the service of the Habsburgs as court physician in Prague and Vienna. Mattioli corresponded with scholars across Europe and received plant specimens and drawings from many of them, which enriched successive editions of his herbal. His commentaries on Dioscorides, translated into Latin, French, German and Czech, shaped the study of medicinal plants for generations.
Artist or Maker: Pietro Andrea Mattioli
Dimensions: Approximately 36 cm x 23 cm.
Medium: Woodcut with later hand colouring.
Date: 16th Century.
SKU: PLA-0930-2
____
Shipping & Combined Purchases:
We are happy to combine multiple purchases into one shipment, helping you save on shipping costs. Please contact us before making payment so that we can calculate and adjust the shipping cost accordingly.
All items are professionally packed and shipped from France by Mail Boxes Etc. (MBE) on behalf of Dahlströms Rare Prints OÜ, Estonia.
Every shipment is fully insured and sent exclusively via UPS or FedEx, with tracking provided after dispatch.
We handle every shipment with the utmost care, ensuring that our antique prints, maps and rare books arrive safely and in the condition described.
Seller's Story
Dahlströms Rare Prints OÜ specialises in original antique prints, maps, natural history, botanical illustrations, decorative engravings and rare books from the 16th to the 20th century. We source our items from private collections, auctions and libraries across Europe. All items are carefully described, professionally packed and shipped from France.
Details
Sold by
Owner or reseller
Artist
Pietro Andrea Mattioli (1501–1577)
Title of artwork
Botanical Study of Tamarisk – Engraving (16th Century)
Technique
Engraving
Signature
Not signed
Country of origin
France
Condition
Good condition
Height
36 cm
Width
23 cm
Depiction/theme
Nature
Style
Realism
Sold with frame
No
Period
16th century
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