Abstract
The presentation focuses on how certain visual "formats" in the scientific representation of plants took shape over the centuries. It looks at a long period - going back in time from the 20th to the 15th century - but focus especially on the long 16th century.
It concentrates on visual evidence and use mainly original drawings of plants and some printed illustrations from major publications in the field of natural science from these centuries. Two main questions guide this exploration.
Can we understand visual innovation in this field as a consequence of technical innovation (for example, did photography trigger new ways of drawing, and did the microscope trigger new ways of looking)? And can historical formats of botanical representation throw light on the research questions of naturalists in past centuries? In this approach to the cultural and visual history of science, Florike Egmond (Leiden and Rome University) was before all interested in the diversity of historical expertise and ways of seeing than in finding the historical "roots" of modernity.