Cultivated and Wild Roses - Pietro Andrea Mattioli — Contemporary hand-coloured leaf from Kreutterbuch (1611)

An original botanical leaf with contemporary hand-coloured woodcuts from the 1611 Frankfurt edition of Pietro Andrea Mattioli’s Kreutterbuch. The herbal was a major Renaissance reference for the identification and medicinal uses of plants.

Two hand-coloured woodcuts contrast cultivated roses, Rosae domesticae, with wild roses, Rosae sylvestres. The full red blooms of the cultivated rose sit beside open white flowers and red hips on the wild rose. The German text includes historical preparations for rose juice and rose syrup.

The contrast between the two roses makes this leaf particularly decorative, and the small studies of buds and hips reward a closer look. The German text and botanical illustrations show how early modern herbals combined careful observation with practical knowledge of plants.

Toned paper with brown staining toward the lower margin and light edge wear. The illustrations are on the verso.