Herbal in the tradition of Dioscorides
15th century CE, with the possibility of a 17th-century binding
paper, 121 leaves with color illuminations; Greek
Eastern Mediterranean
Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania Libraries (Oversize LJS 62)
A Herbal is a type of text that describes and catalogues plants for exclusively medicinal and practical usages. These texts were common throughout antiquity--with examples dating all the way back to the 4th century BCE—and can still be found in modern day bookshops.
One characteristic that sets the Herbal apart from other botanical texts of the time is the layout of the text: organizing by remedy rather than diseases or conditions that need treatment. These Herbals were often splendidly decorated with illustrations of the plants that were discussed, and at times with marginal illuminations of men and women interacting with them. One example of these illuminations is found on folio 4v, where the figures of Dioscorides and Galen—who’s works were the inspiration behind this herbal—can be seen sitting and discussing the plants surrounding them on the page. The other illumination on display is found on folio 5v, and is a collection of nine different illustrations of plants, detailing their unique traits such as leaf shape, color, length, and flowering patterns.
—Maggie Miller