27-02-2021, 02:44 AM
By the 17th century, many botanical drawings of Viola tricolor were extant, and they are more similar to the VMS drawing.
My guess as to why this is so is that the VMS is, in general, is more naturalistic than many medieval plant drawings, and 17th century drawings were also more naturalistic than drawings from previous traditions (by this time botany had become a field in its own right).
The "water lily" root is more than a century ahead of its time in terms of accuracy and detail, so it seems possible that the Viola drawing could be ahead of its time also, if it is based on a real plant rather than slavishly copying 14th or early-15th century drawings.
My guess as to why this is so is that the VMS is, in general, is more naturalistic than many medieval plant drawings, and 17th century drawings were also more naturalistic than drawings from previous traditions (by this time botany had become a field in its own right).
The "water lily" root is more than a century ahead of its time in terms of accuracy and detail, so it seems possible that the Viola drawing could be ahead of its time also, if it is based on a real plant rather than slavishly copying 14th or early-15th century drawings.