11-06-2024, 11:01 AM
It is worth noting that also in 'legitimate' herbals, the quality of illustrations can vary greatly.
This is true already for the Vienna Discurides, where different artists can be identified.
I am always reminded of Marco's reading of the text of the banana plant in one of the Tractatus de Herbis copies (BNF Lat 6823, if I remember correctly), where the plant does not look at all like a banana plant (tree), but it follows the descriptive text, namely that it looks like another bush with additional yellow fruit.
The drawing is based on this textual description.
The majority of other drawings are quite accurate.
This is true already for the Vienna Discurides, where different artists can be identified.
I am always reminded of Marco's reading of the text of the banana plant in one of the Tractatus de Herbis copies (BNF Lat 6823, if I remember correctly), where the plant does not look at all like a banana plant (tree), but it follows the descriptive text, namely that it looks like another bush with additional yellow fruit.
The drawing is based on this textual description.
The majority of other drawings are quite accurate.