By examining the collecting interests and protective practices of Cosimo III de’ Medici, the study reveals the close ties between the arts and natural sciences in the early modern period. A number of previously unpublished sources of images and texts reveal a panorama of botanical splendor and scholarship during the era of the 'last Medici' and examine the achievements and boundaries of grand-ducal patronage.

Irina Schmiedel, Wiss. Mitarbeiterin am IKM, Abteilung Kunstgeschichte, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Mainz.