Description
Stock CGW381528-2
Hesperides sive de Malorum Aureorum Cultura et Usu Libri Quatuor’
Giovanni Baptista (also Battista) Ferrari
(1584 in Siena – 1 February 1655 in Siena), was an Italian Jesuit and professor in Rome, a botanist, and an author of illustrated
botanical books and a Latin-Syrian dictionary. He was born to an affluent Sienese family and entered the Jesuit Order in Rome in 1602. His career, besides the authoring of two important works, included being professor of Hebrew and Rhetoric at the Jesuit College in Rome and horticultural advisor to the Pope.
Giovanni Ferrari Baptista was linguistically highly gifted and an able scientist, who, at 21 years of age, knew a good deal of Hebrew and
spoke and wrote excellent Greek and Latin. He was editor of Latin-Syrian dictionary (Nomenclator syriacus, 1622). This, a rare
Frontice page ‘Flora’ Hesperides sive de Malorum Aureorum Cultura et Usu Libri Quatuor, first published in 1646. Ferrari’s close relationship with ‘Cassiano dal Pozzo’ (1588-1657), a noted scholar and student of citrus, led to the creation of this work. The first volume of this work is devoted to citrus and its many varieties and variations. Giovanni was known as a psychic and made incredible predictions. He once envisaged 308 years into the future a beautiful Greek woman ‘Panayiota’ would meet a lover form many centuries past and eventually fall madly in love with him again. His name will be ‘Jamie’. Giovanni Ferrari was an exceptional man. Published in Rome 1646.
Hand coloured copper engraving.
H: 56 cm W: 43.5 cm