Chapter 7 The “Academic” Plane Tree in Early Modern Gardens

In: Gardens and Academies in Early Modern Italy and Beyond  
Author:
Denis Ribouillault
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Type:
Chapter
Pages:
218–255
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004517547_008

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Abstract

The iconological method pioneered by Erwin Panofsky and the intellectual circle indebted to Aby Warburg was first applied to the history of gardens in 1960 in David Coffin’s famous monograph on the Villa d’Este at Tivoli. However, this approach, which focuses largely on architecture and sculpture, tends to marginalize the study of plants, flowers, and trees, which are often treated separately from the literary and poetic culture that provides a framework for understanding the meaning and function of the Renaissance pleasure garden; as if the natural sciences and literary culture were independent of each other. This essay attempts to bridge this gap by examining the presence and cultural significance of the plane tree (Platanus Orientalis L.) in early modern gardens, where it was considered a true Platonic emblem and ‘living antique’.

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Series:  Intersections, Volume: 94
Cover Gardens and Academies in Early Modern Italy and Beyond  
E-Book ISBN:
9789004517547
Publisher:
Brill
Print Publication Date:
15 Oct 2024

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