Gottorfer Codex, bd. 4 1649 - 1659

Hans Simon Holtzbecker created this volume of the Gottorfer Codex at an unknown date with watercolor and gouache on vellum. It is part of a larger collection commissioned by Duke Friedrich III of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorf. The Codex embodies the Duke's ambition to catalogue the natural wonders of his realm. A project emerging at a time when gardens became symbols of power and scientific inquiry began shaping the cultural landscape. Holtzbecker’s botanical illustrations weren't just art, they were vital records of the plants cultivated in the Gottorf Garden. Look at the detail, the botanical accuracy, and the way each plant is carefully rendered. This reflects the values of the court, where art served the purposes of knowledge and political prestige. The institutional history of collections like these reveals a great deal about the priorities of the powerful. By consulting inventories, letters, and scientific publications, the historian reveals the complex intersection of art, science, and politics that shaped the Gottorfer Codex.