Drawn After Nature : The Complete Botanical Watercolours of the 16th-Century Libri Picturati

For over 300 years, the Preussische Staatsbibliothek in Berlin held a most remarkable collection of botanical watercolours. They were catalogued as part of the library's illustrated manuscripts, or Libri Picturati. These magnificent works of art, rich in colour and detail, were made in the second half of the 16th century in the southern part of the Low Countries. During World War II, however, they were split among various locations. For three decades, experts feared for the fate of this invaluable collection. In the 1970s, word was received from the Biblioteka Jagiellonska in Krakow, Poland: the complete set of watercolours had been found among its collections. This important rediscovery sparked the interest of historians, art historians and botanists alike. Together they set out to unravel the many secrets still held by the Libri Picturati 's watercolours. For instance, who had collected them, and why? Were they made as one collection? What happened to them since the death of their first owner? How had they ended up in Berlin, and then in Krakow? A team of pre-eminent scientists from Poland, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain and Italy worked together on these and other intriguing questions surrounding the collection. They unveiled, among other things, the important role played by the famous Dutch botanist Carolus Clusius, who later founded the University of Leiden 's Botanical Gardens. The European experts now present their findings in Drawn after nature. This publication contains accessible and informative chapters on the collection's history, but most importantly: it brings together all of the original 1429 watercolours and sketches, for the first time in one volume, accompanied by their original annotations. Drawn after nature thus presents a vivid and complete picture of this unique historical collection. Botanists, art lovers, historians as well as the general public will enjoy this publication of the watercolours, their annotations and their history, but above all their supreme beauty and display of craftsmanship. Drawn after nature presents a vivid and complete picture of a unique historical collection of botanical watercolours. Botanists, art lovers, historians as well as the general public will enjoy this publication of the watercolours, their annotations and their history, but above all their supreme beauty and display of craftsmanship. For over 300 years, the Preußische Staatsbibliothek in Berlin held a most remarkable collection of botanical watercolours. They were catalogued as part of the library's illustrated manuscripts, or Libri Picturati. These magnificent works of art, rich in colour and detail, were made in the second half of the 16th century in the southern part of the Low Countries. In the 1970s the complete set of watercolours had been rediscovered and sparked the interest of historians, art historians and botanists alike. Together they set out to unravel the many secrets still held by the Libri Picturati's watercolours: who had collected them, and why? A team of pre-eminent European scientists worked together on these and other intriguing questions surrounding the collection. They unveiled the important role played by the famous Dutch botanist Carolus Clusius, who later founded the University of Leiden's Botanical Gardens. Drawn after nature contains accessible and informative chapters on the collection's history, but most importantly: it brings together all of the original 1429 watercolours and sketches, for the first time in one volume, accompanied by their original annotations Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents Foreword Introduction: an enquiry into the Libri Piƈturati A18-30 The making of the Libri Piƈturati A16-30 Technical description The additions by the Count of Arenberg From Kleve through Berlin to Grüssau From Krzeszów to Kraków Dramatis Personae Sources cited in the annotations The Libri Piƈturati and the early history of the Hortus botanicus Leiden The Libri Piƈturati watercolours and early botanical illustrations Algae, lichens, mosses, liverworts, ferns, and lycophytes The flowering plants in the Libri Piƈturati The morphology of illustrated plants Phytogeography, synanthropic plants, and plant introductions The beginnings of ecological thought Plants depicted in the Flora Iberica and present in the Libri Piƈturati Common names in Italian Common names in French, German, and Dutch Food plants Medicinal plants, drugs, and kitchen herbs Fodder plants Technical plants Ornamental plants Fungi Animals depicted in the Libri Piƈturati A18-30 The complete annotations & plates of the Libri Piƈturati A18-30 Introduction to the annotations on Libri Piƈturati A18-30 A18 A19 A20 A21 A22 A23 A24 A25 A26 A27 A28 A29 A30 Literature Index Appendix 1 Plants with a Caspar Bauhin name, arranged by plate number Appendix 2 Scientific and other names of plants, animals and objects depicted in the Libri Picturati