Libro de los Medicamentos Simples
- Publisher / Year
- M. Moleiro Editor – Barcelona, 2000
- Limited edition:
-
987 copies
FP. Fv VI #1 - National Library of Russia (St. Petersburg, Russia)
Libro de los Medicamentos Simples
Livre des Simples Médecines
Libro delle Medicine Semplici
Buch der einfachen Heilmittel
Libro delle Medicine Semplici
Livro dos Medicamentos Simples
340 pages / 35.5 x 26.0 cm
Count Charles of Angoulême (1459–1496) and his wife Louise of Savoy
Author: Matthaeus Platearius, a 12th Century physician from the medical school at Salerno
Illuminator: Robinet Testard (1470–1531)
386 illustrations
The Book of Simple Medicines arose in early 15th century France. It is a how-to manual about medicine, as it was practiced in the Middle Ages. The work was made by the French illuminator Robinet Testard and contains an unbelievable plethora of beautiful and informative illustrations
The medicine of the Middle Ages traces back to the knowledge of ancient scholars. Medicines made from plants and animals as well as mineral substances were used for the treatment of various sicknesses. The Book of Simple Medicines is a comprehensive how-to manual, which contains the information about the properties and compounds of natural medicine. The highly detailed work is decorated with an astonishing variety of beautiful book illustrations. It is one of the most noteworthy codices of medieval European art.
The codex originated from 15th century France and was produced for Count Charles of Angoulême and his wife Louise of Savoy. It consists of 5 book sections. These are concerned with plants and flowers, trees and resins, metals and minerals, animal products, and other materials. Following these explanations is a collection of 115 outstanding miniatures. The French text is based on the Latin explanations of the physicist Mattheaus Platerius, De medicinis simplicibus. In the 12th century, he compiled one of the most influential medical how-to manuals, which was translated into various languages during the Middle Ages. This treatise was enlarged with new findings in the French book of medicines.
The breath-taking miniatures of the book were very likely produced by the master Robinet Testard. The artist almost never signed his works, which complicates an unambiguous assignment. To be sure, Testard was employed at the court of Count Charles of Angoulême as a princely valet of the family at the end of the 15th century. The depictions show the botanical, faunal, and mineral substances and sometimes the persons for whom the use of these medicinal substances were intended. Sometimes the scenes were ennobled with elements of gold leaf. This artistically valuable treatise about the medicine of the Middle Ages is counted among the most beautifully illuminated manuscripts of the French Renaissance. Today the original edition of the document is found in the Russian National Library in St. Petersburg.
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