A Woodblock’s Career

A groundbreaking analysis of 108 botanical woodblocks from the Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum Complex reveals their pivotal role in shaping early modern botanical knowledge. These woodcuts, commissioned by the Antwerp publishing house Officina Plantiniana for works by Rembert Dodoens, Carolus Clusius, and Matthias Lobelius, served as foundational elements of 16th–17th century visual botany. By tracing the reuse and evolution of a subset of these blocks, researchers demonstrate how they facilitated the dissemination of plant imagery across Europe, offering a tangible lens into the development of Renaissance botanical science. This study underscores the material culture's enduring impact on scientific communication during this formative period.

Chen, J. W.-H. (2020). A Woodblock’s Career. Nuncius, 35(1), 20–63. https://doi.org/10.1163/18253911-03501002