Roodborst (Erithacus rubecula) (1596-1610)

Anselmus Boëtius de Boodt prints bring a Renaissance cabinet of wonders into your home: tulips and irises, owls and nightingales, bats, lions, walruses and strange fish, each labelled in several languages. De Boodt was a Flemish physician to Emperor Rudolf II, a founder of modern gemology and a gifted painter of nature. Our collection of fine art prints draws on his albums of natural history watercolours from 1596 to 1610.

About Anselmus Boëtius de Boodt

Anselmus Boëtius de Boodt was born in Bruges in 1550 into an aristocratic family. He studied at Louvain, Douai and Orléans, where he took a law degree in 1575, travelled in Italy, and studied medicine at Heidelberg and later Padua, where he earned his doctorate in 1587.

Driven from Bruges by the Dutch Revolt, he went to Bohemia, where in 1583 he became physician to William of Rosenberg. In 1587 he took over the imperial botanical garden in Prague from Carolus Clusius and became physician to the court of Emperor Rudolf II, one of the great collectors of his age. In 1604 he was named the emperor's personal physician. His Gemmarum et Lapidum Historia (1609) made his name across Europe as a founder of the study of gems.

After Rudolf's death in 1612 he left the court and returned to Bruges in 1614, where he practised medicine, painted, played the lute and wrote poetry and songs in Dutch. He died in Bruges on 21 June 1632.

Style and Subjects

De Boodt set out to picture all the creatures of the natural world, as his fellow Fleming Joris Hoefnagel had done before him. He filled twelve volumes with 728 watercolours of animals, birds, fish, insects and plants, most painted by himself, some by artists such as Elias Verhulst.

Each sheet shows one subject, or a lively mix of creatures, on a plain page with careful, fresh colour. He added names in Dutch, Latin, French and other languages, an early attempt at an orderly system of naming that predates Galileo's circle of naturalists.

Famous Works

• Gemmarum et Lapidum Historia (1609). His great book on gems and stones, a founding work of gemology.
• Paarse iris (Iris germanica) (1596–1610). A purple iris with its names in four languages.
• Tulp (Tulipa) (1596–1610). One of dozens of tulips in his albums, painted before the Dutch tulip craze.
• Dwergooruil (Otus scops) (1596–1610). A small owl, one of his many bird portraits.
• Gladneus vleermuis (Bat) (1596–1610). A bat with outstretched wings.
• Leeuw (Panthera leo) (1596–1610). A lion from his studies of exotic beasts.
• Natuurhistorische ensemble (nr. 9) (1596–1610). A "miscellany" sheet mixing many small creatures.

Decorating with De Boodt Prints

De Boodt's watercolours bring the spirit of a Renaissance cabinet of curiosities to a study, library or hallway. Hang a grid of mixed sheets, an owl, a tulip, a bat and a fish, in thin black or gilt frames for a museum look.

His tulips and irises are lovely in a kitchen, dining room or bedroom, while his birds and animals add charm to a child's room or reading nook.

FAQ

Who was Anselmus de Boodt?

Anselmus Boëtius de Boodt (1550–1632) was a Flemish naturalist, gemologist and physician to Emperor Rudolf II. He is considered a founder of modern gemology and was also a skilled painter of nature.

What are his natural history albums?

They are twelve volumes with 728 watercolours of animals, birds, fish, insects and plants, made around 1596–1610. They stayed with his heirs until 1844 and were partly published in 1989.

Why are his pictures labelled in several languages?

De Boodt developed a system of naming and added each creature's name in Dutch, Latin, French and other languages to his drawings.

Did he paint all the pictures himself?

He made most of them himself but also used other artists, such as Elias Verhulst from Mechelen.

What else is he known for?

His Gemmarum et Lapidum Historia (1609) on gems and stones, his work at Rudolf II's court in Prague, and his Dutch poems and songs written in Bruges.

Related Artists

• Joris Hoefnagel: Flemish painter of nature whose Four Elements series inspired him
• Maria Sibylla Merian: later painter of insects and plants
• Georg Dionysius Ehret: later master of botanical watercolour