A botanical plate from Hortus Eystettensis (1613), one of the most important Florilegia of the early modern period, published by Basilius Besler.

Scientific Name: Hyacinthus Orientalis, Viola tricolor variants
Identification: Hyacinth, Pansy, Wild Viola
Family: Asparagaceae, Violaceae

Properties: This plate brings together flowering bulbs and field violets, illustrating the early modern fascination with contrast between cultivated ornament and humble wild growth. Hyacinth was associated with renewal, fragrance, and the awakening of spring, valued for its dense flower spikes and symbolic ties to rebirth and fleeting beauty. Viola species, long linked to modesty, remembrance, and quiet affection, were prized both for their delicate appearance and their medicinal associations with cooling and calming the body. Together, these plants reflected a natural harmony between structured garden forms and spontaneous meadow flowers, embodying balance, transition, and the layered rhythms of the seasonal world.