Antique herbarium books kept in the Municipal Library of Trento

In the magnificent setting of Caldes Castle, rare and precious volumes dating back to between the 15th and 18th centuries will be on display in the castle dominating the Giudicarie valley, offering a unique opportunity to discover rare books illustrated with woodcuts and copperplate engravings of great artistic quality. Such books have made it possible to hand down ancient knowledge and know-how about the plants and flowers so accurately described in them.

There will also be a selection of antique pharmacy instruments from Casa de Gentili of Sanzeno, and courtesy of the owner, the BIM of Adige.

The exhibition will allow the wider public to enjoy works of art that would otherwise only be accessible to a few connoisseurs, thus exploiting the cultural heritage of the city. Some of the most beautiful 15th and 16th century illuminated manuscripts, today kept in a number of renowned European libraries, were owned or acquired by the Prince Bishops of Trento, at least for a certain time. Among these there is the Tacuinum Sanitatis, for example, dating back to the end of the 14th century and now in the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek in Vienna, which belonged to Bishop George of Liechtenstein. The magnificent illuminations were produced in the Verona environment and clearly fall within the context of the International Gothic, which is manifest in Trento in the frescoes of the months in the Torre Aquila by the artist Wenceslaus from Bohemia.

The exhibition also includes a copy of the Erbario di Trento, a precious manuscript dating back to the second half of the 15th century, which contains plates with illustrations of curative and medicinal plants, accompanied by explanations regarding their uses and possible remedies. One can admire the depictions of known plants, drawn and painted with watercolours, along with bizarre magical formulas, references to the Cabala, evangelical citations and prayers, while there is also mention of plants and animals whose names are sometimes invented with absurd and ingenious etymology. The precious codex kept in Buonconsiglio Castle, made by artists from a workshop in the Veneto region, is a work successfully combining a scientific scope and artistic excellence, representing a working tool for botanists and doctors and a source of healing for sufferers, while for us it offers a chance to learn more about real life in an era subject to the most diverse cultural influences. It is fascinating and engrossing to be able to observe from within a distant world that has partly disappeared (some of the plants no longer exist), partly never existed (fantastical plants and animals) and still partly present in alternative medicine. 

Source:www.buonconsiglio.it