[Sca-cooks] reading list

[Barbara Evans]

I bought an interesting little book at Midrealm Coronation last weekend.

It is called "Nature Illuminated: Flora and fauna from the court of the
Emperor Rudolf II." Authors are Lee Hendrix and Thea Vignau-Wilberg;
published by the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, 1997; ISBN#
0-89236-472-6.

Cost was $15.00 and well worth it for the beautiful color plates showing
fruits, nuts, flowers, small animals, insects, herbs, snails, caterpillars,
(and even a tomato!), all done in the late 1590's. The artist, Joris
Hoefnagel (1542-?1601) was commissioned by Emperor Rudolf II to illustrate a
work called The Model Book of Calligraphy, which had been created in
1561-1562 by master calligrapher Georg Bocskay for the Emperor's
grandfather, Emperor Ferdinand I.

Bocskay left lots of space on the pages of ornamental calligraphy samples,
and Hoefnagel filled the spaces with realistic and detailed illuminations
from the natural world. Forty-one of the 128 folios are reproduced in this
little book, with a key to the fruits, nuts, flowers, insects, etc. in each
one.

Of course, a picture of a tomato done in period does not count as evidence
that anyone at the court of Rudolf II was actually *eating* tomatoes at that
time,  but it certainly is interesting. I wonder if there are any other
vegetables shown in the plates which were not reproduced here. Anyone have
access to the J. Paul Getty Museum in LA? Perhaps asking to see the original
might be....illuminating?

Mathilde