Who painted Phytographia Curiosa: Spiraea Theophrasti?

Phytographia Curiosa: Spiraea Theophrasti was painted by Abraham Munting in 1667.

Where can I see Phytographia Curiosa: Spiraea Theophrasti?

Phytographia Curiosa: Spiraea Theophrasti is held by Cleveland Museum of Art.

What movement is Phytographia Curiosa: Spiraea Theophrasti?

Phytographia Curiosa: Spiraea Theophrasti is associated with Baroque.

Artwork

Phytographia Curiosa: Spiraea Theophrasti

Abraham Munting , 1667

Phytographia Curiosa: Spiraea Theophrasti is a print by the Baroque artist Abraham Munting. It dates from 1667 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

About this work

Overview

Abraham Munting’s 1667 print titled *Phytographia Curiosa: Spiraea Theophrasti* depicts a solitary shrub rendered with meticulous botanical accuracy. The image is part of the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection and exemplifies the detailed plant illustration tradition of the seventeenth century.

Subject & Meaning

The central figure is a tall spiraea shrub, its lance‑shaped leaves and clusters of diminutive red berries rendered in close study. The plant is placed within a broader pastoral setting that includes a strolling figure, a pond, grazing sheep, and a distant horizon, suggesting a harmonious relationship between cultivated flora and the surrounding landscape.

Technique & Style

Executed as a print, the work employs fine line work and subtle washes to convey texture and form, echoing the scientific illustration practices of the era. The emphasis on naturalistic detail aligns with Baroque interests in observation and the representation of the natural world with both clarity and decorative richness.

History & Provenance

Created in 1667, the print was produced during Munting’s active period as a botanist and educator in the Dutch Republic. It entered the Cleveland Museum of Art’s holdings through acquisition in the twentieth century, where it remains accessible for study and public display.

Context

Munting’s botanical prints belong to a broader Baroque movement that merged artistic skill with empirical inquiry. The period’s fascination with cataloguing nature led to a proliferation of illustrated herbals and florilegia, of which this print is a representative example.