Table of Contents

Preliminary Plan
Edited/revised notes:
11/27/16 UPDATE
Information about flowers from herbals
Vinegar trial check table
Subject: Carrying out reconstruction experiments
Subject: Taking flowers out of the sand in boxes
Subject: Sorting vinegar jars and removing some flowers from jars
Annotation Plan #1 for Glass Cages is on Ana Matisse's page
PHS: PRIMARY SOURCES--USE CONTEMPORANEOUS ONES. SEE EMILY FOYER, SOPHIE PITMAN, AND ROBIN REICH ANNOTATIONS FOR SOME POSSIBLE ONES. ALSO, REMEMBER THAT THE MS. INCLUDES REF TO MATTHIOLI, DODOENS, OTHERS?

Preliminary Plan
Preliminary Annotation Plan #2 for Flower Preservation in Ms. Fr. 640

1. Participants:
Ana Matisse and Caitlyn Sellar

Larger "preservative" context, e.g., plague recipe (vinegar; preservative, 170v); WORD FOR SAND IN THIS RECIPE: arene? Sable? meaning of "studies"
connection to still life, decorating when flowers are out of season; mentioned in 1670s Gerard de Lairesse
Look at folio images--is this a work of experience?
Flower sourcing: Union square

New York Botanical Gardens, Vanessa Sellars, Director of the Humanities Institute, excellent library

2. Recipe: p120v_5
<head>Keeping dried flowers in good condition year round</head><ab>
<m>River sand</m>, that is washed by the current of water, is good when strained in a cloth to make the powder compact.</ab>
<ab>This is a rare secret, and which is pleasing for decorating tables, rooms, studies out of season when winter denies you flowers. Be advised to pick them when they are in full vigor and still growing, because if you take them when no longer in bloom or when they are starting to wilt, they will not keep. Having therefore chosen them, take some <m>sand</m>, the leanest and driest you can find, that must be very well ground, like the one <pro>goldsmiths</pro> use to sand <m>enamel</m>, or like the one [used] for engraving. But this <m>sand</m> must not be dusty at all, nor must it stay on your hand or leave a trace when you have ground or poured it, because it is[f]
Make sure your box is well sealed so that the <m>sand</m> does not get out. Keep it uncovered in sunlight and keep it away from the evening dew, and the moisture of the night, and cover it and keep it in a dry place.
You can not put these aforementioned flowers in big vases, because if you want to take one out, you will take the whole bunch with it.
Be advised to not pick your flowers when it is rainy or humid, but when the sun has been shining on them.
Flowers can also be kept just as beautifully in <m>vinegar</m>, distilled in a vase, well-sealed so it there is no draft, well-sealed with <m>wax</m> and <m>mastic</m>. [For] carnations and roses, the residue of <m>vinegar</m> usually makes them rot. If the <m>sand</m> is dusty, and sticks to the flowers so that it hardly comes off with a brush, it is no good. The leannest <m>sand</m> is the best.</ab>
<cont/> p0120v_4
a sign that there is some humidity and if the flower was also watery it would rot. Moreover the sand must not be <del/> rough because its weight would make the flower lose its original shape. Once you have chosen it accordingly, take a <tl>box</tl> in which you first make a layer of sand on which you will display the stalk of the flower laid in a way that the flower does not touch nor the bottom nor the edges of the <tl>box</tl> and stands in the air. Then add more <del/> sand on the stalk so that it remains strong and solid. Finally take some of the same sand and sprinkle and subtly display it with two <tl><bp>fingers</bp></tl> on the flower like the flow of an <ms> <tl>hourglass</tl></ms>. And once the flower is <del/> covered, strike with your <bp><tl>fist</tl></bp> the table on which the <tl>box</tl> is displayed, so that the sand lowers and surrounds everything. Finally cover the entire flower, and lay other flowers, one after the other, as many as the <tl>box</tl> can hold. Then put the <tl>box</tl> in <tmp>warm sun</tmp> for <ms><tmp>several days</tmp></ms>. And as the flower dries, the sand that goes with it continues to press and prevents it from rotting and tightening and consequently, it dries and keeps its original shape. And to do so, make sure to chose boufarcis, <pa>marigold</pa>s, the <pa>yellow meadow's flowers</pa> called <la><pa>rammenlus</pa></la> or <la><pa>palta lupina</pa></la>, <pa>amaranth</pa>, and similar flowers like <pa>broom</pa> and others which you will know from experience.
The sand the <pro>goldsmith</pro>s use to sand <m>enamel</m>s and the white one which the <pro>glassworker</pro>s use and any type of fine sand which does not have much body, put it through a <tl>sieve</tl> made of <m>horsehair</m> because this matter must not be very thin. Then dry it well in the <env>sun</env> for <ms> <tmp>several days</tmp></ms> in order to remove the dampness and ventilate it as you would do with <m>wheat</m> so that the dust goes away. Once cleaned of dust and dried, use it as you know.
<pa>Pansies</pa> can be preserved in the same way.</ab> </div>


3. Plan:


4. Materials:



5. Bibliography:
Secondary Sources-
Picturing the book of nature : image, text, and argument in sixteenth-century human anatomy and medical botany by Sachiko Kusukawa
“Still Life sources” in Still Life Paintings- Technique and Style by Arie Wallert
“Inside the Box : John Bartram and the Science and Commerce of the Transatlantic Plant Trade” by Joel T. Fry in Ways of making and knowing : the material culture of empirical knowledge edited by Pamela H. Smith, Amy R. W. Meyers, and Harold J. Cook
Cultivated Power: Flowers, Culture, and Politics in the Reign of Louis XIV by Elizabeth Hyde
The Wild and the Sown: Botany and Agriculture in Western Europe, 1350-1850 by Mauro Ambrosoli
History of Botany (1530 – 1860) by Julius Von Sachs (from 1906)
“Dominion, demonstration, and domination : religious doctrine, territorial politics, and French plant collection” by Chandra Mukerji in Colonial botany : science, commerce, and politics in the early modern world edited by Londa Schiebinger and Claudia Swan.
The Science of Describing : Natural History in Renaissance Europe by Brian Ogilvie - the bibliography section of this book also lists a number of herbals and herbaria to check out
”The Nature of Nature in Early Modern Europe” by Daston, Lorraine in Configurations 6 (1998)
Orientalism in early modern France : Eurasian trade, exoticism, and the Ancien Régime by Ina Baghdiantz McCabe

Primary Sources-
The Herball, or, Generall historie of plantes /gathered by John Gerarde of London, master in chirurgerie by Gerard, John (1597) - http://www.botanicus.org/page/1956117
De simplicibus medicamentis ex Occidentali India delatis, quorum in medicina usus est by Nicolás Monardes (1574) - http://gateway.proquest.com.ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:eurobo-us:&rft_dat=xri:eurobo:rec:hin-wel-all-00002450-001
Herbarium / Oth. Brvnfelsii ; tomis tribvs exacto tandem studio, opera & ingenio, candidatis medicinae simplicis absolutum. Quorum contenta, index cuiusquam tomorum suo loco explicat (possibly by Weiditz, Hans, d. ca. 1536) - http://gateway.proquest.com.ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:eurobo-us:&rft_dat=xri:eurobo:rec:hin-wel-all-00000055-001
L’histoire des plantes, traduicte de Latin en François avec leurs pourtraicts, noms, qualitéz & lieux où elles croissent by Geoffroy Linocier (1620) - http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k1041793n




Edited/revised notes:

Materials
  1. Box — I have identified several wooden boxes that can be purchased cheaply and are sealed on the edges to hold the sand in — the box does not need a top — because the focus is on the sand and the flower within the box, I’m not sure the type of wood used to make the box was of concern to the a-p
  2. Sand— The word for sand in the recipe is “sable”; the sand should not be too powdery, too wet, or too thin, and should be “lean”— the a-p mentions that it should not “stay on your hand” which actually gives a good idea as to how fine the sand should be
  3. Flowers-- Pansies, marigold, lupines, etc. are mentioned specifically in the text — most of these flowers are out of season, but there are still a number of organic flowers available in the Union Square market that could be used— the a-p specifically warns against roses and carnations in the vinegar experiment, so I will try to avoid using those in either experiement. I think I would like to try preserving the same type of flower for both experiment 1 and 2 in order to compare them
  4. Vinegar-- the recipe specifies a distilled vinegar, and it should probably be organic as well— the only distilled vinegar I know is white vinegar
  5. Wax & mastin — these are used as a part of the seal on the vase in order to cover the vase— I am thinking of approximating with plastic wrap for the seal, since I think the focus of this experiment is on the vinegar and the flower
  6. Vase — can be purchased cheaply from a flower shop or craft store



Procedure
EXPERIMENT 1:
  1. Having therefore chosen them [flowers], take some <m>sand</m>, the leanest and driest you can find, that must be very well ground, like the one <pro>goldsmiths</pro> use to sand <m>enamel</m>, or like the one [used] for engraving. But this <m>sand</m> must not be dusty at all, nor must it stay on your hand or leave a trace when you have ground or poured it, because it is[f] a sign that there is some humidity and if the flower was also watery it would rot. Moreover the sand must not be <del/> rough because its weight would make the flower lose its original shape. Once you have chosen it accordingly, take a <tl>box</tl> in which you first make a layer of sand on which you will display the stalk of the flower laid in a way that the flower does not touch nor the bottom nor the edges of the <tl>box</tl> and stands in the air.
    — The flowers should be laid out in a box, with a layer of sand on the bottom so that the flower does not touch the bottom at all— it seems the flower should be standing in the box (should it be standing with the stem in the sand or the flower itself provides the base?- based on the next step, it should be the stalk)
  2. Then add more <del/> sand on the stalk so that it remains strong and solid.
    — adding more sand around the base so that the flower does not fall over
  3. Finally take some of the same sand and sprinkle and subtly display it with two <tl><bp>fingers</bp></tl> on the flower like the flow of an <ms> <tl>hourglass</tl></ms>.
    —sprinkle some sand over the flower — presumably to get sand to surround the flower without crushing it
  4. And once the flower is <del/> covered, strike with your <bp><tl>fist</tl></bp> the table on which the <tl>box</tl> is displayed, so that the sand lowers and surrounds everything.
    — this step is probably to even out the sand in the box
  5. Finally cover the entire flower, and lay other flowers, one after the other, as many as the <tl>box</tl> can hold. Then put the <tl>box</tl> in <tmp>warm sun</tmp> for <ms><tmp>several days</tmp></ms>. And as the flower dries, the sand that goes with it continues to press and prevents it from rotting and tightening and consequently, it dries and keeps its original shape
    — this step indicates adding other flowers to the box, which would be difficult if it was filled with sand already. likely, the author-practitioner would have needed to lay out other flowers next to the first one before filling the box with the rest of the sand
  6. Make sure your box is well sealed so that the <m>sand</m> does not get out. Keep it uncovered in sunlight and keep it away from the evening dew, and the moisture of the night, and cover it and keep it in a dry place.
    — the a-p indicates sealing the box but then says to keep it uncovered— he is likely referring to keeping the bottom and sides sealed to prevent the sand from getting out, but keeping the top open to the sunlight — based on his descriptions of the evening dew, it probably needs to be placed in a warm, dry place, but not necessarily a well-lit one
  7. You can not put these aforementioned flowers in big vases, because if you want to take one out, you will take the whole bunch with it.
    — refers to the difficulty of using the flowers for decoration in a home — possibly because the petals get dry and are not easily maneuverable?

EXPERIMENT 2:
  1. Flowers can also be kept just as beautifully in <m>vinegar</m>, distilled in a vase,
    -- placing the flowers in a vase filled with vinegar-- presumably the flowers will float, so I will have to figure out a way to keep it submerged
  2. well-sealed so it there is no draft, well-sealed with <m>wax</m> and <m>mastic</m>.
    — the vase the flowers are placed in needs to be sealed well— because I am focusing on the use of vinegar to preserve the flowers, I will probably use plastic wrap or something similar to seal the top of the vase, especially considering the recipe does not say what will be sealing the vase (what would the wax have been sealing on the top to keep it covered? is it a piece of glass, wood, etc.?)
    — it wouldn’t dry them out in the same way as the first experiment, so could this second experiment change the look of the flowers? would the flowers preserved in this way be used for something different (i.e. the study of flowers for paintings vs the study of flowers for science?)



Further research plans:
  1. Since our last discussion, I made an appointment with the New York Botanical Gardens library which I was unable to keep due to illness-- I will make another appointment in the coming week to look at some of their collection of herbals, herbaria, and possibly woodblocks as well
  2. In my historical research, I am still interested in examining the place of this type of preservation of flowers in the history of natural science and the writing/drawing of scientific literature in Early Modern France. I have been reading Brian Ogilvie's The Science of Describing, which has been extremely helpful so far, along with Kusukawa's Picturing the Book of Nature
  3. Because I am unsure of whether these preserved flowers were used for natural history study or still-life art study, I will probably also explore some still life paintings of flowers that feature varieties which do not generally bloom at the same time
  4. This recipe does not describe "preserving" or "drying" specifically in the title-- only "keeping" the flowers; however the second experiment uses vinegar to keep the flowers, which was used in a number of other medicinal recipes in the manuscript, including one about "preserving oneself":
    <id>p170v_a3</id>
<head>To preserve oneself</head>
    <ab><m>Acetum</m> paratum ex <m>ruta</m> <m>baccis juniperi</m> simul tusis Eo<lb/><m>aceto</m> extinguantur <m>lateres</m> igniti. Et vapor excipiatur ore [&]<lb/>naribus. <m>Rue</m> <m>vinegar</m> together with crushed <m>juniper berries</m>. Pour the <m>vinegar</m> over red hot <m>bricks</m> and inhale the vapor through the mouth and nostrils. This is to preserve oneself when going into noxious air: a garment can be perfumed with this vapor in order to remove infection from a room, house, etc. And if you find yourself in a place where you do not have this preparation, carry <m>rue</m> and <m>berries</m>[e] crushed together, then, if need be, boil them in <m>vinegar</m> and use as described.</ab>
    What are the implications of the word "keep" vs. preserving or drying?
  5. I also have a number of books on the historical distribution of plant species in Europe, especially since the cultural meaning of flowers likely changed as new types of flowers travelled between European and Asian lands -- because the author-practitioner mentions specifically using these preserved/dried flowers as decoration, it would be beneficial to understand such cultural meanings, of which Elizabeth Hyde's Cultivated Power has considered



11/27/16 UPDATE
Experiment procedures:
Sand Trial 1 - Beach sand
Use three-to-four flowers, as close to those mentioned in the manuscript recipe as possible
  1. Take sand and spread a thin layer on a sheet/plate/etc. and place in the fume hood to dry overnight (layer should not be too thin)
  2. If needed, pour sand through sieve to remove rocks, seashells, etc.
  3. Prepare the flowers (possibly remove the leaves from the flowers?)— cut stems to required length, measure blooms and stems
  4. Set up the box with a layer of sand on the bottom, and set up three-to-four flowers along the bottom standing upright (use the sand to ensure they are standing in the air)
  5. Add more sand to the box, slowly, layering the sand up in the box and making sure that the flowers stay standing (this step will likely require two people)
  6. Carefully sprinkle/spread the sand around the petals of the flower, being careful not to crush the flower
  7. While layering the sand, strike fist on the table as needed to even out the sand
  8. Once the flowers are covered completely, put the box in a (warm?) dry place, leaving the box itself uncovered
  9. Leave the flowers in the box for one and a half to two weeks (based on modern day recipes; this information is not included in the manuscript)
  10. The recipe does not state how to remove the flowers, but: tip the box so that the sand falls out of one corner, holding the flowers at the bottom of the stem until the sand has been poured out from the box to remove the flowers
  11. After the flowers have been removed, use a brush to remove sand from the petals and stem as needed

Sand Trial 2 - Kremer sand (similar to goldsmith’s sand)
(steps same as above)

Sand Trial 3 - commercial sand
(steps same as above)


Vinegar Trial 1 - Half-filled vase (50% glacial acetic acid)
Use three flowers, same as those used in sand trial
  1. Distill glacial acetic acid with water to create 50% acid concentration (Documents_MSDSVendors_2016_November_29_02-15-12-879_AM.pdf)
  2. place cut flower (delphinium and larkspur) in mason jar with vinegar — the flowers should be cut shorter than the vase
  3. place cut rose in mason jar with vinegar in the same way
  4. cover the jars with saran wrap to seal the top of the vase/jar
  5. leave flower in jar and check periodically to see how flower is faring

Vinegar Trial 2 - Submerged in vinegar (50% glacial acetic acid)
Use three flowers, same as those used in sand trial
  1. Distill glacial acetic acid with water to create 50% acid concentration
  2. place cut flower (delphinium and larkspur) in mason jar and fill with vinegar so that the flower is submerged
  3. place cut rose in mason jar with vinegar in the same way
  4. cover the vase/bottle with saran wrap to seal the top of the vase/jar
  5. leave the flower in vase/jar and check periodically

Vinegar Trial 3 - Half-filed vase (7% glacial acetic acid)
(Steps same as vinegar trial 1)

Vinegar Trial 4 - Submerged in vinegar (7% glacial acetic acid)
(Steps same as vinegar trial 2)

Vinegar trial 5 - Half-filled vase (5% apple cider vinegar)
(Steps same as vinegar trial 1)

Vinegar trial 6 - submerged in vinegar (5% apple cider vinegar)
(Steps same as vinegar trial 2)


Projected timeline:
11/27 - dry sand
11/28 - supplies gathered and set up vinegar trials (try to check every couple of days to record condition) ; make marks on inside of boxes at cm marks
11/29 or 11/30 - set up sand trial 1
11/30 or 12/1 - set up sand trials 2 and 3
12/12 - remove sand from trials


Materials
  1. Flowers —roses, delphiniums, larkspur (9 of each)
  2. Sand — commercial sand from lab, beach sand from Jersey Shore, Kremer sand
  3. Boxes (built at home)
  4. Mason jars from lab
  5. Vinegar — apple cider vinegar
  6. Scissors
  7. Tongs (maybe)
  8. String (maybe)
  9. Rubber bands
  10. Masking tape
  11. Glue
  12. Fume hood
  13. sieve
  14. distilled water
  15. glacial acetic acid from lab
  16. brushes


I have now collected my flowers and beach sand and also made my wooden boxes. Over the break I also continued my research into how vinegar is made (so as to determine the acetic acid concentration needed in the experiment), the cultural meanings of flowers in France, how flowers were used in decoration in Early Modern France, and worked on gathering more information about the flowers mentioned in the MS from the herbals I looked at in the New York Botanical Garden library on Tuesday. Most of the herbals were French translations of other books, but there were a few herbals which were helpful in learning about the properties/names/locations/etc. of the plants from the recipe, including Matthioli and Dodoens (mentioned in the Ms). The librarian at the archive was also unsure of 'boufarcis' in the list of flowers, and this is the only flower which I have not been able to find information on (including searching variations in spelling). I spoke with Vanessa Sellers at the library as well, and may try to contact her to see if she has any ideas.
I have also continued to look at the context of the recipe/materials in the manuscript: how flowers/sand/vinegar are used in other recipes, other types of preservation, and if there are any other recipes where the purpose of the created objects, etc. was for ornamental use. After my experiments are completed, I would like to see if the flowers still hold their smell and how vibrant their color is in addition to seeing if they actually hold their form-- I have found a book on the history of the senses (on request at the library) that I hope will have some relevant information on smell and color during the Early Modern period; considering smell was important in medicine as well as the information I have found on the use of dried flowers to provide a type of perfume (potpourri) later on in the seventeenth century, I would be interested to see if the flowers could have played a role in creating a sweeter or more pleasant smell in homes even after they were dried. I am also interested in seeing how well they hold their color, and how closely they resemble the live flowers

11/24/16 2PM
Kremer’s

11/25/16 5PM
Sandy Hook

11/26/16 12PM
Hillsborough B&T Florist

11/26/16 1PM
Parents' house, NJ


Vinegar research

Information about flowers from herbals
Vinegar trial check table

Name: Caitlyn Sellar, Emma Le Pouesard, Tianna Uchacz
Date and Time: Nov. 29, 2916 ; 5:00PM
Location: Making & Knowing Lab
Subject: Carrying out reconstruction experiments

Pouring Beach Sand into Box 3
20161129_Sellar_flowersinpreservative_124.jpg
Pouring Play Sand into Box 2
Pouring Quartz Powder into Box 1

10:45PM
Assembling vinegar jars


Name: Caitlyn Sellar
Date and Time: Nov. 30, 2916 ; 1:15PM
Location: Making & Knowing Lab
Subject: Checking on vinegar jars


Name: Caitlyn Sellar, Emma Le Pouesard, Tianna Uchacz
Date and Time: Dec. 9, 2916 ; 4:00PM
Location: Making & Knowing Lab
Subject: Taking flowers out of the sand in boxes

Materials:
  1. scooping implements and brushes (see picture)
    2016-12-09 18.55.19.jpg
  2. gloves
  3. goggles
  4. mask
  5. clay
  6. plate
  7. small plastic cups
  8. jars (3)

Procedure + notes:


Questions:


Vinegar trial check-in:


Name: Caitlyn Sellar, Emma Le Pouesard, Tianna Uchacz
Date and Time: Dec. 19, 2916 ; 1:30PM
Location: Making & Knowing Lab
Subject: Sorting vinegar jars and removing some flowers from jars

Sorting through the jars of vinegar flowers
I have chosen to keep--
- 50V full submersion delphinium and larkspur to keep track of how they are dissolving in the distilled vinegar
- 50V full roses, 7V full roses, and ACV full rose to test how they hold up over time; the ACV is not supposed to keep the rose/carnation preserved well, b
- 50V partial rose to observe the color changes in the petals, since this one is much more vibrant that the other vinegars
- ACV partial delphinium and larkspur because the larkspur was the only partial submersion delph/lark that did not 'sag' in the jar, its stem is still fairly straight and the color of the petals is still close to what it originally was (although a little muted)


2:15PM, lab
removing flowers from vinegar jars
General observations: the double parafilm + plastic lid seal seems to have been an effective seal—parafilm was cut where the threads were, but the top remained tightly sealed and intact. no mould on any of the flowers.
1. full ACV delp and lark - removed parafilm disk with tweezers; brown film on underside; unclear if brown residue is a result of the vinegar or dissolved, stringy, gooey flowers. The smell of apple cider vinegar was very strong, with an undertone of alcohol or fermentation to the point of slight rottenness
20161219_Sellar_flowersoutofvinegar_7.jpg 20161219_Sellar_flowersoutofvinegar_11.jpg
2. partial ACV rose - turned orange; much condensation on the petals;
3. partial 7% rose - when wafting, it smells of rose, slight rot, and; much condensation on the petals;
2 and 3 are similar in color—orange and red tie-dye like. The color is coming off both flowers' petals. The stems are strong. The petals are softer than they were initially, but you have to tug them pretty hard to get them to come off. Decided to keep these two roses and put in the fume hood to dry out of curiosity—perhaps the recipe intended that the roses should be initially treated with vinegar and then dried.
20161219_Sellar_flowersoutofvinegar_22.jpg
4. partial 50% delph and lark - very strong smell of vinegar/acid; the stems, where they were under the acid, remain strong and turgid; where the stems were outside the acid, they have gone limp; despite the ease with which the petals fell off the flowers before they were processed, now the petals are more difficult to remove. Cleaning out the jar of the 50%, it smells like flowers that have been kept in water for too long and are finally taken out.
5. full 7% delph and lark - comparatively little smell; the flowers themselves smell of rotting stems that have been in a vase too long; the stems are soft and yield beneath the tweezers' pinch; delphinium petals were firmly attached while the larkspur petals came off easily
20161219_Sellar_flowersoutofvinegar_44.jpg
6. partial 7% delph and lark - smells like rotting flowers; NJR: it smells a bit like artichokes; the stems are soft and yield beneath the tweezers' pinch; delphinium petals were firmly attached; the larkspur petals have changed from purple to brown-green
7. set apart ACV rose and 7V rose on a ceramic plate to dry in the fume hood -- we were curious to see what would happen to the petal color/overall look of the flowers when they were dried after being submerged
IMG_5087.jpg


The dried vinegar roses were placed in jars on January 12, 2016 after they were fully dried--

IMG_5217.jpgIMG_5216.jpg