CAMERARIUS Joachim Hortus medicus et philosophicus…Bound with: THAL, J. Sylva Hercynia… Bound with: CAMERARIUS, Joachim. Icones… descriptiones term in horto quam in Sylvia Hercynia.

Stafleu and Cowan, Taxonomic Literature 14.006; Nissen, BBI 311; Pritzel, 1.440; Arents, Tobacco, part 2, n° 88, p.93.

First edition of this important botanical book. Magnificent contemporary coloured copy from Camerarius’ library, certainly bound for him by Jacob Krause’s pupil, Caspar Meuser.

German physician and son of a humanist and philologist of the same name, Joachim Camerarius the younger was born in Nuremberg and began his studies in Germany before moving to Italy. Here he continued his education at the universities of Padua and Bologna, from the latter of which he received his doctorate in 1562. Camerarius published several early botanical works such as Opuscula de re Rustica (1577) and Hortus medicus et philosophicus (1588). The same year he brought out his Icones praecipuarum stirpium with fantastic illustrations of plant varieties. Renowned for his skills as a physician and botanist, Joachim Camerarius had built up a private garden just outside Nuremberg, where he cultivated a large number of plants whose seeds had been sent to him from various countries. His book, Hortus medicus et philosophicus, considered by some to be one of the most important of the 16^th century, is a sort of catalogue of the plants in his garden, including the American aloe in flower (see Icones…, p. V), which appears to be shown here for the first time.

“On leaf X3 occurs a passage which describes tobacco; there several comments showing its medical use in Germany at this period.” Arents.

The work by Johann Thal (1548-1583) studies the flora of Saxony, the Black Forest and the Hartz mountain range.

The Icones… reproduces 56 of the plants described in the previous works. Engraved on wood, this iconography is the work of Jost Amman J. Jung, Peterlin… Jost Amman (1539-1591) had previously illustrated Camerarius’ De plantis Epitome, published in 1526 by the same printer. Born in Zurich, he practiced in Nuremberg and used two techniques, etching mixed with burin and wood engraving.

Magnificent contemporary coloured copy from Camerarius’ library.

On the verso of the third endpaper is a handwritten note from the 18th century:

Ex-Bibliotheca Joachim Camerarii, Auctoris, codicem hunc eleganter conservatum, et nitide pictum conservatus sum pretio non vili. C.C. Schmiedel D. Med. Anat. et Bot. P.P.V.

“From the library of Joachim Camerarius, the author, this catalogue I have conserved with distinction and superbly painted and not at a low price. ” C.C. Schmiedel D. Med. Anat. et Bot. P.P.V.

C.C. Schmiedel or Schmidel is the eminent German botanist, physician and anatomist, born in Bayreuth in 1718 and died in 1792. Professor at the University of Erlangen, then physician to Charles-Alexandre, he published the first part of Conrad Gesner’s “Opera botanica” and part of the second (1751-1771).

This is therefore certainly the author’s copy, who was famous for his large collection of botanical books and manuscripts.

In addition, on the first back cover, a sheet of paper has been waxed over with a handwritten note from the period. It mentions a certain Casp. Wolfius. Certainly Kaspar Wolf, who was commissioned by Gesner (1515-1565) on the eve of his death to continue his work on publishing a kind of encyclopedia on plants (“Opera Botanica”).  Kaspar Wolf (c. 1532–1601), Gessner’s former pupil, publicly announced his intention to edit the botanical legacy of his mentor. Wolf’s announcement, entitled “Promise” (Pollicitatio), is of prime importance concerning the unfinished plant history and has influenced many researchers’ views.

“Gessner died of the plague on December 13th 1565. His estate went to Caspar Wolf (1525–1601), who succeeded him as town physician. In March 1566 Wolf promised to finish Gessner’s “Historia plantarum” and also noted that he owned his predecessor’s library. He had bought the papers and books from Gessner for a fair price before the latter deceased, but unlike the libraries of Zwingli and Bullinger, we do not know the exact price Wolf payed for Gessner’s library. Unfortunately, it was too difficult and time-consuming for Wolf to revise and edit Gessner’s unfinished studies. Between 1566 and 1587 he published several of Gessner’s works, among them the “Epistolae medicinales” (Zürich 1577) and the “Physicarum meditationum annotationum et scholiorum libri”, containing the lectures on Natural History held at the Schola Tigurina in Zürich (Zürich 1586). Other works, especially the “Historia plantarum”, remained unfinished. In 1580 Wolf sold the botanical studies together with more than 1’500 illustrations of plants for 150 Gulden (ca. 300 pounds) – the same price he himself had paid to the heirs – and Gessner’s copies of Dioscorides (1th cent. AD), Pliny the Elder († 79 AD) and Theophrastus (370—about 285 BC) for 25 Gulden (ca. 50 pounds) to Joachim Camerarius the Younger (1534–1598), physician in Nuremberg. Gessner had corresponded with Camerarius since 1558. It was also Camerarius’ aim, to publish Gessner’s voluminous botanical work, but his intention was similarly hindered. After his death in 1598, Gessner’s botanical studies were owned by Ludwig Joachim Camerarius (1566–1642), then by Johann Georg Volkamer (1662–1744), and finally ended up in 1744 with Christoph Jacob Trew (1696–1769), town physician of Nuremberg, who entrusted the edition to Casimir Christoph Schmiedel (1718–1793) in Erlangen. Today two volumes with plant drawings as well as Gessner’s Pliny are still preserved at the University Library of Erlangen. Other plant drawings from Gessner’s “Historia plantarum” were bought from the University Library in Tartu (Estland), were also Gessner’s copy of his Theophrastus is kept. His Dioscorides is lost” (Brill, The History of Gessner’s Library).

The richly decorated German blue morroco binding is extremely interesting for its ornamental vocabulary. Some of the tools used are similar to those used on magnificent bindings made by the most important German bookbinder of the Renaissance, Jakob Krause (1532(?)-1585) and his pupil Caspar Meuser (d. 1593). In 1573, Camerarius made Jacob Krause godfather to his son Ludovicus, who is also mentioned in the note on the back cover. The central lovely gilt tool depict a botanist or a gardener holding flowers in his hands.

A magnificent copy of this rare book.

The title page and the last two leaves of the Icones seem to come from a shorter copy.