Herbarum vivae eicones
| Author | Brunfels, Otto |
|---|---|
| Full title | Herbarum vivae eicones ad naturae imitationem summa cum diligentia et artificio effigiatae, una cum effectibus earundem, in gratiam veteris illius et iamiam renascentis herbariae medicinae per Othonem Brunfelsium recens editae. MDXXX. Quibus adiecta ad calcem appendix isagogica de usu ad administratione simplicium, item index contentorum singulorum |
| Year | 1530–1536 |
| Place | Strasbourg |
| Publisher/Printer | Schott, Johann |
| Era | 16th century |
| Form/Genre | Translation, Other (see description), Historia, Encyclopedic work |
| Discipline/Content | Biology, Medicine |
| Digital copies | |
| Original | Herbarum vivae eicones, vol. 1, vol. 2, vol. 3 (Google Books)
Alternative link: e-rara.ch |
| Digital sourcebook | 915173 (vol. 1)
915173 (vol. 2) 676442 (vol. 3) |
| Description | These splendid three tomes of Lifelike Images of Herbs by the physician Otto Brunfels, one of the so-called "fathers of botany" together with Hieronymus Bock and Leonhart Fuchs, are the first of the great herbals issued by these three authors over the following two decades. However, Brunfels intended to produce a work not of botany, but of botanical medicine (see below).
The importance of the Eicones is showcased not only by their careful and costly make in general but also by their extensive, manifold paratextual apparatus introducing the first tome. An impressive title woodcut (whose allegorical implications would repay closer scrutiny) is followed by a letter of dedication to the council of Strasbourg in which Brunfels sketches his aims and methods, a list of sources, a short Greek poem in choliambs in praise of medical plants and of God, their creator, and Latin elegy by the Alsatian humanist Johannes Sapidus in praise of the author, the illustrator Hans Weiditz, the printer and the work itself. After that, a coat of arms is depicted – a small conundrum, because Brunfels did not belong to the nobility. This is followed by a long preface on the usefulness and excellence of medicine, aptly titled encomium medicinae in the headline, and by a prayer, which is introduced as a better alternative to a vainglorious dedication. After the main part of tome 1, which comprises pictures and descriptions of 50 (groups of) plants in as many chapters, one finds an alphabetical catalogue of all plants discussed, an index rerum, an appendix with c. 40 largely unconnected chapters on topics from praise of agriculture to lists of drugs against various health problems, another poetic advertisement of the work in the third Asclepiadean and the imprint. The second and third volumes are richly equipped with paratexts as well. The single chapters of the work proper are called rhapsodiae ("songs sewn together"), an allusion to their compilatory character, as explained in the dedication. Each chapter is headed by one or several beautiful woodcut depictions of the respective plant(s), which are the work's greatest pride, as evinced by its title. The text begins with a list of Greek, Latin, and German denominations. Next comes a series of pertinent extracts from ancient, medieval (including Arab) and modern authors in translation (placita autorum), usually followed by some remarks by Brunfels himself (iudicium nostrum). After that, various authorities are quoted again on the plant's nature (temperamentum) and medical effects (vires et iuvamenta). At the end, there is a short bibliography, including precise indications of books and chapters. A German version of the work, the Contrafayt Kreüterbuch, came out in two volumes in 1532 and 1537. The combination of Latin and vernacular editions was typical of works of this kind, as they targeted learned doctors on the one hand and practitioners who had no Latin on the other. |
| References | Dissertatio de Germanis, rei herbariae patribus Baader 1978 Pavord 2005, 161–173 |
| Cited in | |
| How to cite this entry | Brunfels, Otto: Herbarum vivae eicones, in: Noscemus Wiki, URL: http://wiki.uibk.ac.at/noscemus/Herbarum_vivae_eicones (last revision: 20.07.2023). |
| Internal notes | |
| Internal notes | Main part begins with plantain, because this humble plant exemplifies God's procedure, qui semper operatur mirabilia in minimis – a thought that seems important as a justification for the new attention of early modern scientists to minute and seemingly uninteresting aspects of nature. |
| Of interest to | MK, IT |
| Transkribus text available | Yes |
| Written by | MK |
