Botanical Encounter is inspired by the 16-century naturalist
book Codex Kentmanus.
The book contains one of the earliest collections of botanical arts.
It consists of hundreds of illustrations from German physician
Johannes Kentmann, prints by his son Theophil Kentmann, and
contributions by many artists and scholars through exchanges and
collaborations.
It is a book of art and science, celebrating human-plant encounters
and representing knowledge exchange.
Visit Herzogin Anna Amalia Bibliothek’s website to learn more
about Codex Kentmanus >>
Johannes Kentmann’s plant drawings, illustrate the plants he
encountered in Padua Botanical Garden during his study in Italy.
There, Johannes met the plants he didn’t know before. At his time,
they were rarely depicted in the north of the Alps. Some of them were
not even from Europe. They traveled to Italy through international
trade.
Meeting these new plants, Johannes started to observe and, with his
paintbrushes, document them in detail. His arts become one of the
earliest collections of botanical illustrations.
On the other hand, Johannes’ son Theophil Kentmann chose to document
his local plant acquaintances in Germany with a new technique --
natural self-printing (Naturselbstdruck).
Plant parts were colored with black soot or charcoal ink, then rubbed
by hand onto a paper. The result prints were later colored with
verdigris solution and other pigments.
And you?
How do botanical encounters spark your creativity?