ManuscriptsPersian13th century

Fineleaf Fumitory Folio from a manuscript of Khawass al-ashjar (De materia medica) by Dioscorides

13th century

Description

De materia medica, the great treatise on the therapeutic properties of natural substances -plants, minerals, and animals- was written, probably during the third quarter of the first century BCE, by Dioscorides Pedanius, a Greek author from Anzarba (now Anavarza), in southeastern Turkey. This folio probably once belonged to a now-fragmentary and dispersed manuscript known as the Vignier-Densmore Dioscorides. Containing most of Book III of the treatise and parts of the remaining books, the known folios of this manuscript preserve neither colophon nor date. Characteristics of the Vignier-Densmore manuscript include the letter sin written with three diacritical dots below it; fifteen to seventeen lines of text per page; the loss of, or damage to, the outer bottom corners of the folios; a purplish-black discoloration of the paper caused by the ink bleeding through from the opposite side; and Western-style numbering in the outer top corners. The stylized image follows the conventions of herbal illustration in depicting the plant from leaf tips to bare roots. The rubric qafunus identifies the plant as fineleaf fumitory (Fumaria parvifolia), which, according to the text, has small, grayish leaves and purple flowers; its sharp juice makes the eyes water and, when mixed with glue, can be used to discourage the growth of eyebrows. When eaten, the herb causes the patient to excrete bile.

Classification

Manuscripts

Medium

Ink and opaque watercolor on paper

Culture

Persian

Century

13th century

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Department

Department of Islamic & Later Indian Art