The Medieval Flower Book
Product ID: 12888597
In our modern world, the spiny-stemmed flowers, intertwined leaves, and delicate pink blossoms of the rubus fruticosus , or common blackberry bramble, might catch the eye of the casual observer or weekend gardener. Pleasant, prolific, and decorative, plants like the blackberry are looked upon as sources for harvest, landscape, and visual pleasure. To the medieval and Renaissance artist, however, these botanicals were far more. Part of a richly symbolic visual language culled from the classical era, their exquisite depiction in illuminated manuscripts of the age evoked fertility, conjured bad dreams, and even aligned itself with ancient wisdom. The popular and enduring appeal of flowers in medieval art and literature extended beyond simple botanical illustration; instead, flowers helped to tell countless stories without words through potent symbolic imagery. The Medieval Flower Book artfully presents an alphabetical collection of over one hundred of the major flowers that appear in medieval manuscripts—gathered with fascinating explanatory texts on their history, significance, and usage. The sumptuous reproductions that accompany each entry offer a visual reference to the symbolism of botanicals in medieval manuscripts that’s beyond breathtaking in its appeal. An introductory section explaining the ancient roots of practical horticulture’s expansion into cultural and spiritual realms not only places the volume in the context of gardening history, but gives the general reader insight into our enduring interest in these remarkable herbals. Widely appealing to all of those interested in flowers and gardening, the horticultural historian, and the student of visual culture and medieval history, The Medieval Flower Book is a fascinating and important primer on the beauty and language of florals. Extensively ranging through the canon of medieval botanicals—from acanthus and anemones to violets and wallflowers—this volume is the perfect gift for anyone interested in blossoms and blooms, and should thrill the everyday gardener and art collector alike. Review: Beautiful book - The author uses several sources and has lovely pictures of each plant in turn. It is a beautiful book. Review: Easy and useful - As an SCA calligrapher/illuminator getting back into doing more stock scrolls for the Kingdom to give at need, I found this to be a good source of inspiration, with some wonderful detail work to look at for aid. I have used it quite a bit, and will most likely continue to use it for a long time to come.
| Best Sellers Rank | #3,653,122 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #1,358 in Flowers in Biological Sciences #2,239 in Botany (Books) #37,360 in European History (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 39 Reviews |
C**C
Beautiful book
The author uses several sources and has lovely pictures of each plant in turn. It is a beautiful book.
L**T
Easy and useful
As an SCA calligrapher/illuminator getting back into doing more stock scrolls for the Kingdom to give at need, I found this to be a good source of inspiration, with some wonderful detail work to look at for aid. I have used it quite a bit, and will most likely continue to use it for a long time to come.
W**T
very nice browsing material for flower lovers
Celia Fisher's book is a delightful addition to my extensive library of flower-centric material. The artwork is very well reproduced and the book is a comfortable size to hold while reading. Granted, there is not nearly as much substance and detail as what's contained in her awesome volume Flowers in the Renaissance but then again I would imagine that there is not nearly as much source material to work with from the researching and writing points of view. I think this book would make a very thoughtful and attractive gift for a history buff who also loves botany, or vice versa. It's also a nice choice for creatives who are seeking relevant reference materia.
C**.
Beautiful used book
The used book had no marks other than a small tear on cover. It was a good savings I gave it as a gift and did not want to invest in a new price book because I was not sure it would be a good read for the person. Delivery was fast enough.
B**Y
Just what I was looking for...
This is the perfect reference for a novel I'm writing. I like the fact that the author "proves" the flowers were part of medieval gardens by pulling references from art and literature, and includes when the flowers arrived on the scene (the Middle Ages were long). But what I found amazing is the focus on the symbolism the flowers held for the culture.
P**D
what an amazing book
This book is so inspirational and the beautiful reproductions make you look at illuminated manuscripts a new way. I think every designer and artist will fing this book a lovely addition to their libraries beautiful reproductions.
T**S
Very interesting
As described very interesting
S**T
Five Stars
Love the book. The illustrations are great. I'm enjoying learning how to draw these flowers.
C**U
THe Medieval flower Book
カリグラフィー＆押し花の参考になり、見ているだけでも楽しい本でした。
C**A
Wonderful art
This is a stunning production especially for gardeners who actually grow some of the plants. Recently I managed to get the ancient red pink into flower, just like in the illustrations.
J**R
Five Stars
Très satisfait.
F**I
Five Stars
so pretty and informative
I**A
Five Stars
Excellent material!
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