ticketsMember | Make a donation

Folio from the De Materia Medica of Dioscorides

13th century
Not on view
Dioscorides, a physician in the Roman army, wrote a herbal in Greek in the first century A.D., discussing, as was traditional for the genre, the characteristics of each plant, its habitat, and its use. The naturalistic illustrations of Greek herbals served as models for Islamic artists, who simplified the plants and made them more symmetrical than their prototypes, in accordance with Islamic taste for ornamental design.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Folio from the De Materia Medica of Dioscorides
  • Date: 13th century
  • Geography: Attributed to Iraq
  • Medium: Opaque watercolor on paper
  • Dimensions: Page: H. 11 5/8 in. (29.5 cm)
    W. 8 in. (20.3 cm)
    Mat: H. 19 1/4 in. (48.9 cm)
    W. 14 1/4 in. (36.2 cm)
  • Classification: Codices
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Lester Wolfe, 1965
  • Object Number: 65.271.1
  • Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
"Preparing Medicine from Honey", from a Dispersed Manuscript of an Arabic Translation of De Materia Medica of Dioscorides, 'Abdullah ibn al-Fadl, Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
"Preparing Medicine from Honey", from a Dispersed Manuscript of an Arabic Translation of De Materia Medica of Dioscorides
'Abdullah ibn al-Fadl
dated 621 AH/1224 CE
Folio from a Qur'an Manuscript, Ink, gold, and watercolor on paper
Folio from a Qur'an Manuscript
dated 531 AH/1137 CE
Folio from a Qur'an Manuscript, Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Folio from a Qur'an Manuscript
ca. 1180
Folio from a Mu'nis al-ahrar fi daqa'iq al-ash'ar (The Free Man's Companion to the Subtleties of Poems) of Jajarmi, Muhammad ibn Badr al-Din Jajarmi Iranian, Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Folio from a Mu'nis al-ahrar fi daqa'iq al-ash'ar (The Free Man's Companion to the Subtleties of Poems) of Jajarmi
Muhammad ibn Badr al-Din Jajarmi
dated 741 AH/1340–41 CE
"Men Treading Grapes", Folio from a Materia Medica of Dioscorides, Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
"Men Treading Grapes", Folio from a Materia Medica of Dioscorides
dated 621 AH/1224 CE

Related Content

Perspectives

Articles, audio, and video from The Met's online magazine.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.