Giovanni Baptista (also Battista) Ferrari (1584 in

Siena Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centuri ...

– 1 February 1655 in Siena), was an Italian

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

and professor in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, a

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

, and an author of illustrated botanical books and a

Syriac Syriac may refer to: *Syriac language, an ancient dialect of Middle Aramaic *Sureth, one of the modern dialects of Syriac spoken in the Nineveh Plains region * Syriac alphabet ** Syriac (Unicode block) ** Syriac Supplement * Neo-Aramaic languages a ...

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

dictionary A dictionary is a listing of lexemes from the lexicon of one or more specific languages, often arranged alphabetically (or by radical and stroke for ideographic languages), which may include information on definitions, usage, etymologies ...

. Linguistically highly gifted and an able scientist, at 21 years of age Ferrari knew a good deal of

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

and spoke and wrote excellent

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

and

. He became a professor of

and

Rhetoric Rhetoric () is the art of persuasion, which along with grammar and logic (or dialectic), is one of the three ancient arts of discourse. Rhetoric aims to study the techniques writers or speakers utilize to inform, persuade, or motivate parti ...

at the Jesuit College in Rome and in 1622 was editor of a Syriac-Latin dictionary (''Nomenclator Syriacus'').

Biography

Giovanni Baptista Ferrari was born to an affluent Sienese family and entered the

Jesuit Order , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders = ...

in Rome at the age of 19 in April 1602. After studying

metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...

logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the science of deductively valid inferences or of logical truths. It is a formal science investigating how conclusions follow from premises ...

and

natural philosophy Natural philosophy or philosophy of nature (from Latin ''philosophia naturalis'') is the philosophical study of physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior throu ...

with Giuseppe Agostini (and after the usual four years of

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

), he was sent to the Maronite college in Rome in 1615/16 – where he learnt

. The early progress reports at the Collegio Romano are complimentary about his literary and Hebraic talents, but rather critical of what appears to have been his somewhat frail state of health and melancholy character. By the schoolyear of 1619-20 he was teaching

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

and

at the

Roman College The Roman College ( la, Collegium Romanum, it, Collegio Romano) was a school established by St. Ignatius of Loyola in 1551, just 11 years after he founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). It quickly grew to include classes from elementary school t ...

. His first published work was a Syriac Dictionary, or ''Nomenclator'', which he published in 1622 (but with an approval from

Mutio Vitelleschi Mutio Vitelleschi (2 December 1563 – 9 February 1645) was the sixth Superior General of the Society of Jesus. He was the son of a noble Roman family. Although he was destined for a general ecclesiastical career, a growing desire to enter ...

and Francesco Donati of 1619). The chief object of the author is to explain the Syriac words in the Bible, in which he was assisted by some learned

Maronites The Maronites ( ar, الموارنة; syr, ܡܖ̈ܘܢܝܐ) are a Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and Levant region of the Middle East, whose members traditionally belong to the Maronite Church, with the largest ...

. Although pretty innovative for its time, Ferrari's ''Nomenclator'' was not a very successful effort, and has not enjoyed much esteem in the subsequent literature ( Bochart was especially cutting in his judgment). It is, however, interesting for its introduction, with its long list of profuse acknowledgements to various members of the Maronite college, especially Petrus Metoscita, and for its brief insight into the working procedures and resources of a Syriac scholar of those days. His ''Orationes'', first printed in Lyons in 1625, and several times reprinted, including two London editions in the 1650s and 1660s, are especially remarkable for four very noteworthy orations on the subject of Hebrew language and Hebrew literary style. In the oration on ''Hebraicae linguae suavitas'' Ferrari asserts the stylistic capabilities of

, and defends it against charges that it was limited and coarse; in the chapters ''Hebraicae Musae sive de Disciplinarum omnium Hebraica origine'' and ''Hebraicae litteraturae securitas, sive De arguto dicendi genere usurpando'' he justifies the difficulties of learning the language, and puts forward the case for studying it. His knowledge of the ancient authors, Greek and Latin, was extensive as was his command of the

Semitic languages The Semitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They are spoken by more than 330 million people across much of West Asia, the Horn of Africa, and latterly North Africa, Malta, West Africa, Chad, and in large immigra ...

. Indeed, Ferrari was a member of the Papal Commission charged with translating the Bible into

. He was honoured in 1759, when botanist

Philipp Miller Philipp is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: "Philipp" has also been a shortened version of Philippson, a German surname especially prevalent amongst German Jews and Dutch Jews. Surname * Adolf Philipp (1864� ...

published ''

Ferraria ''Ferraria'' is a genus of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Iridaceae, native to tropical and southern Africa. They are herbaceous corm-bearing plants growing to 30–45 cm tall. Some species have an unpleasant scent similar t ...

'', which is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

monocotyledon Monocotyledons (), commonly referred to as monocots, (Lilianae ''sensu'' Chase & Reveal) are grass and grass-like flowering plants (angiosperms), the seeds of which typically contain only one embryonic leaf, or cotyledon. They constitute one of ...

ous

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Iridaceae Iridaceae is a family of plants in order Asparagales, taking its name from the irises, meaning rainbow, referring to its many colours. There are 66 accepted genera with a total of c. 2244 species worldwide (Christenhusz & Byng 2016). It include ...

and native to tropical and southern

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref>

''De Florum Cultura''

Ferrari's interests were not limited to Oriental languages. He devoted himself till 1632 to the study and cultivation of ornamental plants, and published ''De Florum Cultura'', which was illustrated with copperplates by, amongst others,

Anna Maria Vaiani Anna Maria Vaiani (or Anna Maria Vaiana) (died ca. 1655) was an Italian engraver, who was most known for her botanical engravings and designs. Biography Anna Maria Vaiani was born in Florence in 1604. Her father, Alessandro Vaiani, was a pain ...

, possibly the first female copper-engraver. The first book deals with the design and maintenance of the garden and garden equipment. The second book provides descriptions of the different flowers, while the third book deals with the culture of these flowers. The fourth book, continues with a treatise on the use and beauty of the flower species, including their different

varieties Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

and

mutations In biology, a mutation is an alteration in the nucleic acid sequence of the genome of an organism, virus, or extrachromosomal DNA. Viral genomes contain either DNA or RNA. Mutations result from errors during DNA or viral replication, mi ...

. Through his acquaintance with

Cassiano dal Pozzo Cassiano dal Pozzo (1588 – 22 October 1657) was an Italian scholar and patron of arts. The secretary of Cardinal Francesco Barberini, he was an antiquary in the classicizing circle of Rome, and a long-term friend and patron of Nicolas Poussin, w ...

, secretary of Cardinal Francesco Barberini, he was appointed to manage the new garden at the Barberini Palace. The plants featured in Ferrari's research came from Cardinal Francesco Barberini's private

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

, the ''Horti Barberini'', a garden which was under the care of Ferrari. Ferrari dedicated the

edition of ''De Florum Cultura'' to Cardinal Francesco Barberini. Ludovico Aureli translated the book into

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

and dedicated this edition, which is entitled ''Flora, overo Cultura di Fiori'' (1638) or simply ''Flora'', to Barberini's sister-in-law,

Anna Colonna Anna Colonna (1601–1658) was an Italian noblewoman of the Colonna and Barberini families. She was also the Princess of Paliano. Early life Colonna was born in 1601; the daughter of Filippo Colonna, Prince of Paliano, and Lucrezia Tomacell ...

. Ferrari became Horticultural Advisor to the Papal family. Ferrari was also closely associated with the Lincei, and in Book 1, chapter 2 of his ''Flora'', he expressly thanks

Federico Cesi Federico Angelo Cesi (; 26 February 1585 – 1 August 1630) was an Italian scientist, naturalist, and founder of the Accademia dei Lincei. On his father's death in 1630, he became briefly lord of Acquasparta. Biography Federico Cesi was ...

for his “erudite additions” (“erudite aggiunte”) and the Accademia for incurring “liberal expenses” (“liberale spesa”) in connection with this book.

''Hesperides sive de Malorum...''

Zitruskultur - Giovanni Battista Ferrari

Another work is the ''Hesperides sive de Malorum Aureorum Cultura et Usu Libri Quatuor'', first published in 1646. Ferrari's close relationship with

(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. The plates were produced by the best artists of the time, such as Johann Friedrich Greuter,

Cornelis Bloemaert Cornelis Bloemaert II (1603 – 28 September 1692), was a Dutch Golden Age painter and engraver. Biography Bloemaert was born at Utrecht. He studied with his father, Abraham Bloemaert, his brothers Hendrick and Adriaan, and his father's pupi ...

and Nicolas Joseph Foucault. Plates were also prepared by the renowned painters and draughtsmen of

Roman Baroque Roman Baroque may refer to either: * Styles in Rome of any form of the arts in the Baroque period, roughly from 1600 to the late 18th century. Rome was a leading centre for Baroque architecture and Baroque painting in particular. * Styles in anc ...

, such as

Pietro da Cortona Pietro da Cortona (; 1 November 1596 or 159716 May 1669) was an Italian Baroque painter and architect. Along with his contemporaries and rivals Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini, he was one of the key figures in the emergence of Roman ...

Andrea Sacchi Andrea Sacchi (30 November 159921 June 1661) was an Italian painter of High Baroque Classicism, active in Rome. A generation of artists who shared his style of art include the painters Nicolas Poussin and Giovanni Battista Passeri, the sculptors ...

Nicolas Poussin Nicolas Poussin (, , ; June 1594 – 19 November 1665) was the leading painter of the classical French Baroque style, although he spent most of his working life in Rome. Most of his works were on religious and mythological subjects painted for a ...

, Pietro Paolo Ubaldini, F. Perier,

Francesco Albani Francesco Albani or Albano (17 March or 17 August 1578 – 4 October 1660) was an Italian Baroque painter who was active in Bologna (1591–1600), Rome (1600–1609), Bologna (1609), Viterbo (1609–1610), Bologna (1610), Rome (1610–1617), ...

Filippo Gagliardi Filippo Gagliardi (born c. 1606, died 1659) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Rome. He collaborated with Filippo Lauri, Andrea Sacchi and Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione. He also helped in the renovation of San Marti ...

Giovanni Francesco Romanelli Giovanni Francesco Romanelli (Viterbo, 1610Baldinucci claims the date is May 14, 1617.– Viterbo, 1662) was a major Italian people, Italian painter of the Baroque period, celebrated for his use of bright, vivid colors and also for his clarity ...

Guido Reni Guido Reni (; 4 November 1575 – 18 August 1642) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, although his works showed a classical manner, similar to Simon Vouet, Nicolas Poussin, and Philippe de Champaigne. He painted primarily religious ...

Domenico Zampieri Domenico Zampieri (, ; October 21, 1581 – April 6, 1641), known by the diminutive Domenichino (, ) after his shortness, was an Italian Baroque painter of the Bolognese School of painters. Life Domenichino was born in Bologna, son of a shoema ...

and H. Rinaldi. The plates show life-sized whole fruit, including sections. Other plates show

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

, mythological scenes, garden buildings,

Orangeries An orangery or orangerie was a room or a dedicated building on the grounds of fashionable residences of Northern Europe from the 17th to the 19th centuries where orange and other fruit trees were protected during the winter, as a very large ...

, garden tools, etc.. He published this at a time growing interest in and structural sophistication of seventeenth-century

orangeries An orangery or orangerie was a room or a dedicated building on the grounds of fashionable residences of Northern Europe from the 17th to the 19th centuries where orange and other fruit trees were protected during the winter, as a very large ...

, constructed needed to protected citrus trees from the cold of Northern Europe or heat of Italian summers."Hesperides sive de Malorum Aureorum cultura et usu", The Metropolitan Museum of Art
/ref> Both works are important as they display accurate representations. Ferrari was the first

scientist A scientist is a person who conducts Scientific method, scientific research to advance knowledge in an Branches of science, area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, ...

to provide a complete description of the

limes Limes may refer to: * the plural form of lime (disambiguation) * the Latin word for ''limit'' which refers to: ** Limes (Roman Empire) (Latin, singular; plural: ) is a modern term used primarily for the Germanic border defence or delimiting ...

lemons The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China. The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culina ...

and

pomegranates The pomegranate (''Punica granatum'') is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub in the family Lythraceae, subfamily Punicoideae, that grows between tall. The pomegranate was originally described throughout the Mediterranean region. It was introduc ...

. He also described medical preparations, the details on

citron The citron (''Citrus medica''), historically cedrate, is a large fragrant citrus fruit with a thick rind. It is said to resemble a 'huge, rough lemon'. It is one of the original citrus fruits from which all other citrus types developed throu ...

and prescribed limes, lemons and pomegranates as medicinal plants against

scurvy Scurvy is a disease resulting from a lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Early symptoms of deficiency include weakness, feeling tired and sore arms and legs. Without treatment, decreased red blood cells, gum disease, changes to hair, and bleeding ...

Works

* * ''Hesperides siue de malorum aureorum cultura et vsu Libri quator Io. Baptistae Ferrarii Senensis e Societate Iesu'', Romae: Sumptibus Hermanni Scheus, 1646. * ''In funere Marsilij Cagnati medici praestantissimi laudatio Ioannis Baptistae Ferrarij Senensis e Societate Iesu: habita in aede S. Mariae in Aquiro 5. Kal. Augusti 1612'', Romae: apud Iacobum Mascardum, 1612. * ''Io. Bapt. Ferrarii ... De florum cultura libri 4'', Romae: excudebat Stephanus Paulinus, 1633. * ''Io. Bapt. Ferrarii Senen. Societatis Iesu Orationes'', Lugduni: sumptibus Ludouici Prost, haeredis Rouille, 1625. * ''Io. Bapt. Ferrarii Senensis ... Orationes'', Venetiis: apud Beleonium, 1644. * ''Io. Bapt. Ferrarii Senensis e Soc. Iesu Orationes'', Romae: apud Franc. Corbellettum, 1627. * ''Io. Bapt. Ferrarii Senensis e Societate Iesu Orationes quartum recognitae et auctae'', (Romae: typis Petri Antonij Facciotti, 1635). * ''Io. Baptistae Ferrarii senensis ... Orationes'', Mediolani: apud haer. Pacifici Pontij, & Io. Baptistam Piccaleum, impressores archiepiscopales, 1627. * ''Io. Bapt. Ferrarii Senensis e Societ. Iesu Orationes'', Nouissima editio iuxta exemplar, Coloniae: apud Cornel. Egmont, imprim. 1634. * ''Io. Baptistae Ferrarii Senensi, S.I. Flora, seu De florum cultura lib. 4'', Editio nova. Accurante Bernh Rottendorffio, Amstelodami: prostant apud Joannem Janssonium, 1664. * ''Io. Baptistae Ferrarii Senensi, S.I. Flora, seu de florum cultura lib. 4, Editio nova. Accurante Bernh Rottendorffio ...'', Amstelodami: Prostant apud Joannem Janssonium, 1664.

Gallery

File:Aurantium corniculatum.jpg, ''Aurantium corniculatum'' from ''Hesperides'' (1646) File:Hesperides, sive, De malorvm avreorvm cvltvra et vsv libri quatuor (Page 337) BHL273402.jpg, ''Alla lima citrata oblonga sive scabiosa et mostrosa'' from ''Hesperides'' (1646) File:Hesperides, sive, De malorvm avreorvm cvltvra et vsv libri quatuor (Page 327) BHL273392.jpg, ''Lumia ollulae aspectu'' from ''Hesperides'' (1646) File:Hesperides, sive, De malorvm avreorvm cvltvra et vsv libri quatuor (Page 199) BHL273264.jpg, ''Limon liguriae ceriescus'' from ''Hesperides'' (1646) File:Plate from "Flora, seu de florum cultura", Ferrari 1646 Wellcome L0007607.jpg, ''Flos indicus e violaceo fuscus radice tuberosa'' from ''Flora, seu de florum cultura'' (1646) File:Plate from "Flora, seu de florum cultura", Ferrari 1646 Wellcome L0007606.jpg, ''Narcissus indicus Liliaceus diluto colore purpurascens'' from ''Flora, seu de florum cultura'' (1646) File:Vincenzo Leonardi02.jpg, ''Limon S. Remi'' from ''Hesperides'' (1646) File:Hesperides, sive, De malorvm avreorvm cvltvra et vsv libri quatuor (Page 205) BHL273270.jpg, ''Limon Caietanus'' from ''Hesperides'' (1646) File:Hesperides, sive, De malorvm avreorvm cvltvra et vsv libri quatuor (Page 433) BHL273498.jpg, ''Aurantium dulci cortice et Sinense'' from ''Hesperides'' (1646) File:Hesperides, sive, De malorvm avreorvm cvltvra et vsv libri quatuor (Page 339) BHL273404.jpg, ''Lima eadem rotunda'' from ''Hesperides'' (1646) File:Hesperides, sive, De malorvm avreorvm cvltvra et vsv libri quatuor (Page 237) BHL273302.jpg, ''Limon perettae consimilis'' from ''Hesperides'' (1646) File:Hesperides, sive, De malorvm avreorvm cvltvra et vsv libri quatuor (Page 389) BHL273454.jpg, ''Aurantium crispo folio'' from ''Hesperides'' (1646) File:Hesperides, sive, De malorvm avreorvm cvltvra et vsv libri quatuor (Page 379) BHL273444.jpg, Aurantium sicciore medulla hibernum from ''Hesperides'' (1646)

References

External links

*
''Gardening Knife, from "Hesperides" by Giovanni Battista Ferrari''

Ferrari's book

* * * * *Ferrari, Giovan Battista. "Flora overo Cultura di Fiori." 1638. Facsimile edition, Florence: Leo S. Olschki, 2001. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ferrari, Giovanni Baptista 1584 births 1655 deaths 17th-century Italian Jesuits 17th-century Italian botanists Jesuit scientists Italian orientalists