La Botanique, from the Almanach iconologique 1760 - 1770

Editor: So, here we have *La Botanique* from the Almanach iconologique, created sometime between 1760 and 1770. It’s an engraving by Charles Nicolas Cochin II. I’m struck by how this feels like a classical allegory, even though it's all about botany. What stands out to you? Curator: What I see is a perfect encapsulation of the Enlightenment’s drive to classify and control the natural world. Notice how "La Botanique," the allegorical figure of botany, diligently inscribes her knowledge onto the book – an act heavy with symbolic power. But it's not just about knowledge; it's about a particular *kind* of knowledge, organized and presented in a way that makes the world legible and, therefore, manageable. Editor: So, the act of writing itself is a symbol of control? Curator: Precisely. Think of how, throughout history, writing has been associated with power – with religious texts, legal codes, scientific treatises. The book represents a container for organizing the perceived chaos of the botanical world. Even the cactus potted neatly beside her signifies control and domestication. Editor: The exotic plants contrast with the controlled setting. Was there a psychological aspect to this? Like taming the wild? Curator: Absolutely. The wild, the uncontrolled, often represented fear and the unknown. By classifying and illustrating, they were attempting to create a cultural memory, or almost an artificial memory, of plants that they controlled in collections like botanical gardens. Editor: Fascinating. I hadn't considered that angle before. Curator: The visual language, like the carefully rendered flora, speak to a desire to understand, categorize, and, ultimately, dominate the natural world. Editor: That’s given me so much to think about in terms of how we view our relationship with the environment. Thanks for this insight.