Detail author

PARKINSON John - England - 1567 - 1650

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John Parkinson was born in Nottinghamshire, engaged in pharmacy studies and established himself in London. He worked at the court of James I as a chemist and then, with Charles I, he became "Botanicus Regius Primarius." His publications were very successful in England, where a strong interest in flowers and plants was spreading, as in all of Europe.

Main work: Paradisii in Sole, Thrale, London (1629).

Botanical interests: Parkinson’s work is very effective, especially in the description of some plants endemic to Great Britain. Parkinson’s research and the classification system he introduced were notable, especially in the herbal, Theatrum botanicum (1640): where he describes 17 classes or tribes including strange and exotic plants, such as the Vegetable Lamb. The Paradisii in Sole (1629), a work with 100 full-page wood engravings, also contains a presentation of aromatic plants and of an orchard. The frontispiece consists of a fantastic wood cut by Switzer that depicts Paradise with trees, flowers and fruits. It is a "naif," very unique and interesting.

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