ABSTRACT
Codices that is collections of botanical drawings, have a long history. The Codex Vindobonensis which dates from about AD 512 is a splendid monument of botanical art. The tradition of making codices was well developed in Holland in the late 17th century. The reason for producing the water-colours in the Hortus Medicus is not known with certainty. This chapter focuses on the original drawings in the Moninckx Atlas that are referred as ‘water-colours’. In a modern technical sense, the drawings are not strictly water-colours, probably also elements of the gouache technique have been used. The drawings in the Codex of the Duchess were identified at Kew in 1912. The Atlas consists of nine volumes, of which only the first eight are related to the Commelin period. Jan Moninckx was the main contributor to the Atlas.
