Frontispiece of Hortus Indicus Malabaricus (Vol. 1), 1678
Hand-colored engravingexpand_more
The Minnich Collection The Ethel Morrison Van Derlip Fund, 1966expand_more P.17,680
Not on Viewexpand_more
This title page perfectly illustrates the melding of Indian and European influences in the creation of van Reede’s tome describing the medicinal properties of Indic plants. The artist inscribed the title in the center of a classical Greco-Roman entablature, upheld by two caryatids, in the middle of a tropical garden. In the foreground, he invents an Indian goddess of botany, who holds a rake and is attended to by four Indian cherubs. Every illustration within the Hortus also attests to the synthesis of European and Indic descriptive practices by listing the local plant name in Roman, Malayalam, Nagari, and Arabic scripts.
Details
- Title
- Frontispiece of Hortus Indicus Malabaricus (Vol. 1)
- Artist Life
- 1636–1691
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- P.17,680
- Provenance
- Dwight and Helen Minnich, Minneapolis
- Catalogue Raisonne
- Nissen 1625
- Curator Approved
This record is from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator, so may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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