Blue Root

We love plants. And vegetables. Especially the smiling ones!

Today's blue root, part of a wonderful 15th-century herbal (a book of names and descriptions of plants), hails from northern Italy (mostly likely the Veneto). It contains a few different kinds of illustration styles, evidence of a series of augmentations to the manuscript made across several generations. It started life out in the early 15th century as a set of around 70 highly stylized paintings of plants, whose patterns, human faces, and other fantastical elements broadly follow medieval conventions. Sometime later in the century, the bound manuscript of 100 folios was, in effect, interleaved: watercolors of still more plants were painted on many of the versos and on both sides of the folios previously left blank. At the same time, labels and some herbal texts in Italian were added. Among this second set is a subset of markedly more naturalistic images, perhaps painted directly from specimens, or at least very good drawings. But I love plants with faces more. So, enjoy.  :)

If you would like to have the next year full of such beautiful masterpieces, please check our 2022 DailyArt Calendars - here. :)

P.S. Are you a plant lover? Here you can see some famous boys with plants in art! Caution: Hotties alert! :)