The False Mandrake
Saint Catherine Tended by Angels - The Belles Heures of the Duke of Berry.
A book of hours commissioned by the French prince John, Duke of Berry (French: Jean, duc de Berry), around 1409 was painted by the Limbourg brothers in France, three Dutch brothers specializing in international gothic style minatures (style originating in Burgundy, France, in the 14th and 15th ce). This book is the only completed work by the brothers Herman, Paul, and Jean Limbourg. They are thought to have died of the plague, leaving their last work, the Très Riches Heures, forever incomplete.
The leaves depicted are of the red byrony plant, Bryonia dioica or the red byrony plant, Byronia alba. This was very popular theme in medieval art. This climbing plant is related to cucumbers and melons, and grows several inches a day and was very popular in medieval monastic cloister and personal gardens and is known as false mandrake. The roots can weight several hundred pounds and were thought to have magical properties. There were many uses from aphrodesiacs to poisons to treatment for leprosy, edema, intestinal worms, headaches, convulsions, treatment of pneumonia and bruising. In medieval artwork, it was used in memento mori paintings to remind people that death surrounds us. It also served as a symbol of vitality due to its fast growth. It was used to fumigate cows suffering from infected udders, and was used before and after giving birth to calves. The Catholic church would make bouquets containing it and bless them for Assumption day. Some people thought the plant could ward off thunder and there are examples of it being used as a pillow under people's heads in coffins during burials. Depending on where in Europe you lived, folklore claimed it to be used by witches to hex people, thought it able to turn into a child that grants wishes that lead to the loss of riches and death, to cure livestock and people alike from a number of ailments and thought to deter snakes. What an exceptional plant this is!
Mostly, it was pretty, grew fast and was useful in medicine and people liked it because it was pretty.
I made a scroll that contains elements of the Belles Heures. A picture of it does not quite do the gold leaf justice, so I have made the below video of it.
Depictions of this vine are often done in gold leaf, however, I really liked the versions where some of the leaves were colorful and features some whitework.
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