Publication Date
12-4-2023
Abstract
The Carrara Herbal is a manuscript that sits at the cusp between medieval and early Renaissance work in Padua, Italy. With medical “simples,” or singular ingredients to be combined, as its primary focus, the Herbal is heavily illustrated and illuminated (the process of decorating a manuscript with color and even precious metals like gold), demonstrating the commissioner’s intentions and establishing him as a leader in the field of botanical medical knowledge. However, the intent and practical use seem to be at odds in the case of the Carrara Herbal. As six centuries passed, the manuscript was actively used and revised as a reference guide for students and practitioners alike. These readers unknowingly created a practical-pedagogical community that modernized medical knowledge as it was learned. This is evidenced by the variety of marginalia left by generations of readers in a plethora of handwritings. Using these notes as clues, historians and manuscript scholars can chronicle the life of this relatively unstudied illustrated herbal, reveal critical information about its users, and discover new information about medieval Italian medical practices.
Recommended Citation
Robinson, Anna Grace
(2023)
"At the Intersection of Functionality and Beauty: A Study of the Carrara Herbal,"
Venture: The University of Mississippi Undergraduate Research Journal: Vol. 5, Article 2.
Available at:
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/umurjournal/vol5/iss1/2
