"The Carrara Herbal is an exceptional illustrated book of materia medica (therapeutic substances drawn from plants, animals and minerals). It is exceptional in both its illustrations and its content, making it of interest to historians of art and medicine alike. The Herbal contains a translation into Paduan dialect of a Latin version of the mid-thirteenth-century Arabic pharmacopeia, Kitab al-Adwiya al-mufrada (The Book of Simple Medicines), written by Ibn Sarabi, a Christian physician working in al-Andalus and known in the Latin West as Serapion the Younger."--Introduction. Includes bibliographical references (pages 196-224) and index.
Contents:
Introduction: Medicine and Metaphor at the Carrara Court -- 1. The Carrara Herbal and the Traditions of Illustrated Books of Materia Medica -- 2. The Healthy Pleasures of Reading the Carrara Herbal -- 3. The 'Physician Prince' and his Book -- 4. Portraits of the Carrara -- 5. Physiognomy in Late Medieval Padua -- 6. Embodiments of Virtue in Francesco Novello's Library -- Conclusion -- Appendix: List of the 61 Manuscripts from Francesco Zago's Inventory, 1404.
Summary:
"The Carrara Herbal is an exceptional illustrated book of materia medica (therapeutic substances drawn from plants, animals and minerals). It is exceptional in both its illustrations and its content, making it of interest to historians of art and medicine alike. The Herbal contains a translation into Paduan dialect of a Latin version of the mid-thirteenth-century Arabic pharmacopeia, Kitab al-Adwiya al-mufrada (The Book of Simple Medicines), written by Ibn Sarabi, a Christian physician working in al-Andalus and known in the Latin West as Serapion the Younger."--Introduction.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.