This watercolor on vellum botanical illustration of Monarda didyma (bee balm) by Pancrace Bessa appeared in an eight-volume 19th century work, "Herbier General de l'Amateur," considered the most important French flower periodical of its day. It appears in the exhibition "Virtues and Pleasures of Herbs through History: Physic, Flavor, Fragrance and Dye" at CMU's Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation. Click photo for larger image. Also on the arts scene: Pittsburgh celebrates glass: 5/23/07

Serious gardening generally begins this weekend in our area, and the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation at Carnegie Mellon University has the perfect exhibition to complement the seasonal excitement. An open house June 3 and 4 gives gardeners, botanical art enthusiasts and plant lovers in general an opportunity to tour the show with the curator and to go behind the paneled walls of the prestigious institute.

"Virtues and Pleasures of Herbs Through History: Physic, Flavor, Fragrance and Dye" is a delightful and informative compilation of botanical drawings, books and manuscripts centered upon 20 herbs, five from each title category.

At least one aesthetically fine rendering of each plant is supplemented by comments about its contemporary use, historic applications and lore.

Hunt and exhibition curator Lugene Bruno says it was difficult to narrow her selections to five and that in part her decision-making was guided by material available in the collection, which she notes is fairly Eurocentric. She also points out that many of the plants cross categories.

An introduction to herbals assembled by librarian Charlotte Tancin places the exhibition in historic context and includes one of the largest such books printed in English (John Parkinson, 1640) and a circa 1759 work by Timothy Sheldrake that was one of the last generalist volumes made.

The plants featured are: physic -- comfrey, ginger, mint, sage and thyme; flavor -- basil, coriander, fennel, garlic and marjoram/oregano; fragrance -- lavender, monarda, rosemary-scented geraniums and southernwood; dye -- bloodroot, madder, saffron, tansy and woad.

Ginger is elegantly rendered by a 19th-century Japanese artist in ink and watercolor; fennel exquisitely by Marilena Pistoia, who Bruno says is "quite a favorite of botanical artists"; southernwood has a blocked formality in a facsimile of a 512 A.D. parchment; and wool yarn is dyed with woad or dried madder root. But these are only a sampling of the riches in the exhibition which, practically, can only be a sampling of the wealth that such diminutive and potent plants have given through time.

Those familiar with the institute may be surprised to see a sculpture in the exhibition. It's of Saint Fiacre (590-670), the patron saint of gardeners, and was cast in chalk circa 15th century. Rachel McMasters Miller Hunt (1882-1963), the institute's benefactress, purchased the statue in the 1930s and kept it in her garden. Whenever Roy and Rachel Hunt -- who also donated the library building in which the institute is housed -- visited Paris, they usually traveled to Saint Fiacre's tomb to "pay homage" Bruno says.

The sculpture was brought from the Rare Book Room to complement this exhibition, which pays tribute as well to Hunt, who was an accomplished herbarist as well as collector. She became a member-at-large of the Herb Society of America by or before 1955 and lectured extensively about herbs. In 1947, for example, she spoke on "Medieval Herbs" at The Cloisters of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in conjunction with an exhibition of her botanical prints.

"How deep our collections are is a reflection of how deep her collections were," Bruno says.

This combination of well-informed connoisseurship and generosity has been the foundation of many of our most significant public collections. Next week affords a rare opportunity to look behind the scenes at one of the treasures unique to Pittsburgh.

At the exhibition exit, a small basket invites visitors to "Enjoy the scent of dried lemon verbena (Aloysia triphylla)." It's a gesture that both provides a pleasant lift and exemplifies the hospitable place herbs have occupied in human culture through recorded time.

Hunt Open House
The Open House will be held from 1 to 4:30 p.m. June 3 and 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 4. Aside from the exhibition, tours will also be offered of the facility including the Art Department, Library, Archives and Reading Room, the latter patterned after the personal library of donor Rachel Hunt. The institute collections include approximately 30,000 watercolors, drawings and prints; 25,000 portraits; 29,000 books and 2,000 autograph letters and manuscripts, including artworks dating from the Renaissance.

Curators will be available to discuss aspects of the collections and, by advance arrangement, to meet with individuals regarding specific questions or to see a particular collection.

At 3:45 p.m. Sunday and 3 p.m. Monday, two talks will be given. Archivist Angela Todd will speak on "Agnes Robertson Arber (1879-1960): Quiet and Independent Herbarist" and librarian Charlotte Tancin on "Herbals as Scientific Communication in 15th-17th Century Europe." Arber was considered by some to be a recluse because of her studious habits, but in fact had great impact on the study of herbal and women's history and of morphology. Tancin speaks to the changing roles of herbals due to the intellectual developments of the Renaissance and succeeding periods. Those planning to attend are requested to R.S.V.P. by June 1 at 412-268-2434.

"Virtues" continues though June 29 on the fifth floor of the Hunt Library, Carnegie Mellon University. Admission is free. Hours are 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday. The institute is closed May 27 and 28; 412-268-2434 or huntbot.andrew.cmu.edu.