MATTIOLI, Pietro Andrea (1500–1577)

The present edition of Mattioli’s herbal [Kreutterbuch] is edited by another great herbalist, Joachim Camerarius the Younger (1534–1598) of Nuremberg. He spent some time in Italy and took his medical degree in Bologna before returning to his birthplace, where he kept a botanical garden with many rare plants. Camerarius’ Kreutterbuch, based on Mattioli, first appeared in 1586 and went through at least four editions up to 1626. It is a compendium of all the plants known to Mattioli, enlarged with new ones by Camerarius. Camerarius’ edition is of special interest as it contains illustrations deriving from Conrad Gesner, whose great botanical work, Historia plantarum, was left unpublished. On Gesner’s death his material was left to his friend Kaspar Wolf, who in turn sold it to Camerarius. Gesner’s already finished woodblocks as well as new ones, cut from his drawings under the supervision of Camerarius, were in part incorporated together with illustrations deriving from the Bohemian edition of Mattioli’s herbal of 1596, noted for its fine woodcuts, while the remainder was adapted from the Venice editions of Mattioli’s Commentaries, partly copied in reduced size from the finest Venice edition of 1565. In the present copy all the 1036 woodcuts of plants and the seven of furnaces are in the original hand-colouring as is the fine title-border engraved by ‘CS’ (Christoph Stimmer) after a drawing by ‘IA’ (Jost Amman), two of the best German book illustrators of the sixteenth century. Many of the plants in this copy have their Swedish names added by hand along with the German printed names.

Collation: Ff. (10), 460, (27). Title printed in red and black within a wide pictorial woodcut border with horticultural motifs. Last page with printer’s device. Illustrated with 1036 woodcuts of plants and 7 of furnaces. The title-border and all the woodcuts are coloured by a contemporary hand.

Binding: Contemporary blind decorated pigskin. In the centre-piece on front and back cover the arms of Maximillian I (1573–1651), Elector of Bavaria.

Provenance: Owner’s signature on title: A. Gryphius. (=Andreas Gryphius, 1616–1664, the famous German author??).

References: Arber, Herbals (3rd ed.), 92-7, 76-8; Frank J. Anderson, An Illustrated History of the Herbals, 163-72; Blunt/Raphael, The Illustrated Herbal, 132-36; Nissen, BBI, 1311; DSB, IX, 178-80; Hagelin, Materia Medica, 88-91.