I) Herbarum, Arborum, Fructium, Frumentorum, c. 1540 ... II) De Speciali quarundam plantarum, Frankfurt: Egenolff 1552

Art Historical Context

This 1552 volume, published in Frankfurt by the printer Christian Egenolff, brings together two botanical texts focused on herbs, trees, fruits, and grains. The first section draws from earlier sources dating to around 1540, while the second offers specialized descriptions of select plants. As a printed book illustrated with woodcuts, it reflects the Renaissance surge in interest in natural history, when scholars and physicians sought reliable references for identifying medicinal and useful species. Egenolff, a leading figure in early German printing, specialized in affordable illustrated works that made scientific knowledge accessible beyond university circles. The woodcut technique allowed fine details of leaves, roots, and fruits—such as the grapes highlighted in the volume be reproduced consistently across many copies, advancing both botanical study and visual literacy in the sixteenth century. Housed today in the Metropolitan Museum’s Department of Drawings and Prints, this compact book (roughly the size of a modern paperback) exemplifies how art and science intersected in early printed herbals. Its pages offered readers practical guidance while celebrating the natural world through precise, repeatable imagery.

About the Artist

Christian Egenolff · 1502–1555

Christian Egenolff (1502–1555) was one of the most important and influential printers of sixteenth-century Germany, a figure whose significance extends from the history of the book to the visual arts of the early modern period. Born in Hadamar, he learned the printing trade before establishing himself in Frankfurt am Main, where he would build a publishing house of lasting consequence. Egenolff w...