Clutius Botanical Watercolors

Clutius Botanical Watercolors

Commissioned from an unknown artist by the Dutch pharmacist Theodorus Clutius as research material for doctors and herbalists - and later used by artists - the botanical watercolours illustrated in this book epitomize the Renaissance interest in and exploration of the natural world. They were considered lost for 40 years after World War II until their discovery in the Jagiellon University Library in Cracow, Poland. The watercolours rival those of Duerer, Leonardo and Besler for beauty and accuracy. The plants, trees, fruits and herbs reproduced here in large, facsimile-style colour plates can easily be recognized by art lovers and gardeners today: they range from rose and columbine to sweet pea, cherry, wild waterlilies with a tiny frog nestling among them, sage, thyme, rosemary and spices.