Rosemary (Rosmarinum) from Pietro Andrea Mattioli's Commentary on Dioscorides, 16th Century

Item

Title
Rosemary (Rosmarinum) from Pietro Andrea Mattioli's Commentary on Dioscorides, 16th Century
Description
This page from Pietro Andrea Mattioli's influential Renaissance herbal depicts rosemary (Rosmarinum) alongside detailed Latin text describing its appearance, cultivation, and medicinal properties. The woodcut illustrations compare cultivated and wild varieties of the plant, reflecting the growing emphasis on botanical observation during the sixteenth century. Mattioli's commentary on De Materia Medica expanded upon the ancient work of Dioscorides and became one of Europe's most important references for physicians, apothecaries, and herbalists. Rosemary was valued for its aromatic qualities and was traditionally used to support memory, digestion, and general health.
Creator
Mattioli, Pietro Andrea, 1501-1577
Source
Mattioli, Pietro Andrea. Opera Quae Extant Òmnia, Hoc Est, Commentarii in VI. Libros Pedacii Dioscoridis Anazarbei De Medica Materia : Adjectis in Margine Variis Graeci Testus Lectionibus, Ex Antiquissimis Codicibus Desumptis, Qui Dioscorides Depravatam Lectionem Restituunt. Basileae: Sumptibus Joannis König, 1674. Biodiversity Heritage Library, Smithsonian Libraries and Archives. Accessed June 2, 2026. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/7772411.
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Publisher
MacEwan University Library
Date
1674
Rights
Biodiversity Heritage Library Copyright & Reuse
No Known Copyright. This image is included on the basis of fair dealing.
Format
JPEG; 1871 x 3181 pixels
Language
lat
Type
Still image
Subject
Medicinal plants; Botany, Medical -- Early works to 1800; Botany--Pre-Linnean works; Botany, Medical--Early works to 1800
Contributor
Bauhin, Caspar, 1560-1624
Genath, Johann Rudolph.
König, Johann 1626-1676
Missouri Botanical Garden
Item sets
"This Sceptered Isle": Life in Early Modern England
Site pages
Health & Medicine
Media
Pietro Andrea Mattioli, Rosemary.jpg