Donderblad en koningskaars 1617

Crispijn van de Passe the Younger made this engraving, titled 'Donderblad en koningskaars', that resides in a book, in the Netherlands. The engraving features two different plants with text accompanying each of them. During the 17th century, the Dutch Republic witnessed a surge of interest in the natural world, fueled by maritime exploration and trade. Botanical illustrations served both scientific and aesthetic purposes, documenting new species and appealing to the sensibilities of a wealthy, educated merchant class. The visual codes in this image are designed to be legible. It would have circulated among botanists, apothecaries, and wealthy landowners. The institutional history of botany is tied to the development of scientific academies and universities, which served as centers for the study and classification of plants. To understand this engraving better, one would have to examine Dutch botanical texts of the period, records of scientific societies, and collections of herbals and garden catalogues. The meaning of art always depends on its social and institutional context.