dition to being an able and energetic 
administrator, he was a respected 
amateur botanist with a family promi- 
nent in scientific circles in Venice. 
His great-uncle Ermolao Barbaro, a 
learned translator of ancient Roman 
scientific literature, and for many 
years professor of philosophy at the 
University of Padua, was one of Italy’s 
foremost authorities on plant science. 
The senate and the university natu- 
rally turned to Ermolao’s young rel- 
ative Daniele when they needed as- 
sistance with the garden. 
A plan of the garden was soon com- 
pleted. Moroni was the draftsman, but 
da Noale and Barbaro, both of whom 
had scientific knowledge that the ar- 
s§? 
Above: By the end of the Middle 
Ages, botanical art had become 
highly stylized. Since medieval 
physicians were interested in the uses 
rather than the forms of plants, 
there was no need for the chamomile 
in this copy o/Herbarius Latinus, 
printed in the late 1400s, to be 
accurate. Left: Pampas grass, an 
ornamental grass originally from 
South America, was introduced into 
Italy in the middle of the nineteenth 
century at Padua. Many exotic 
plants were first grown in Europe at 
Padua’s botanical garden. 
Thomas A. Christopher 
chitect lacked, undoubtedly advised 
him concerning the technical aspects 
of the project. These three men 
achieved a design that was remarkable 
for its successful fusion of aesthetic, 
functional, and scientific elements. 
The original plan of the garden in- 
dicates that the main part was laid 
out as a perfect circle ninety-two yards 
in diameter. This circle was divided 
into four equal parts separated by 
broad paths, and each of these quad- 
rants was subdivided into a different 
geometric pattern of small beds. Con- 
temporary fashions in landscape de- 
sign had influenced how the garden 
was laid out. Such geometric arrange- 
ments of beds, called parterres, were 
almost invariably prominent features 
in Italian gardens of this period. This 
design was also sensible from a prac- 
tical standpoint since the large num- 
ber of distinct beds made it possible 
to grow each variety of plant sepa- 
rately, facilitating the job of keeping 
the plant collection in order. 
The original design of the garden 
is also interesting because it is hier- 
archical. Each bed is part of a larger 
unit, which is in turn part of a still 
larger unit; the progression continues 
up to the largest possible unit, the 
full circle. This suggests that the cre- 
ators of the garden had some under- 
standing of the hierarchical nature of 
plant taxonomy and tried to design 
the garden so that the plants could 
be arranged according to their natural 
relationships. Although no accurate 
understanding of plant taxonomy ex- 
isted at that time (the present clas- 
sification system is generally consid- 
ered to have originated with Carolus 
Linnaeus in the eighteenth century), 
attempts had been made as early as 
the time of Theophrastus to classify 
plants according to a system of re- 
lationships. The founders of the Bo- 
tanical Garden of Padua University 
— in particular the amateur botanist 
Daniele Barbaro- — may have intended 
that the garden be planted according 
to some primitive taxonomic system. 
If so, it is the earliest example of 
a planting scheme that is standard 
in modern botanical gardens. 
By August 1 546, work on the garden 
had progressed so far that a full-time 
staff was necessary. Initially, the staff 
consisted of a director and a gardener, 
but a second gardener was soon added. 
The gardeners were responsible for the 
day-to-day maintenance of the garden, 
while the director supervised its on- 
going construction, oversaw the work 
First printed in 1491, Hortus 
Sanitatus includes a drawing of a 
chamomile so schematic that it bears 
virtually no resemblance to the plant 
it is meant to represent. 
of the gardeners, and planned the de- 
velopment of the plant collections. For 
his services, the director received an 
annual salary of eighty ducats and 
the use of a house located on the 
grounds of the garden. 
This modest but historic beginning 
marked the first time since Theophras- 
tus’ day that public funds were made 
available to support botanical research 
in Europe. Previously, botanists had 
been dependent for their livelihood on 
the generosity of wealthy patrons or 
had pursued their studies as an avo- 
cation while supporting themselves by 
working in another field. Indeed, the 
pioneering scientists who worked un- 
der these difficult conditions accom- 
plished more than might have been 
anticipated. At Padua, however, bota- 
nists were provided not only with re- 
search facilities that were unique at 
the time but also with the opportunity 
to make botanical research their pri- 
mary occupation. 
The opening of the garden sparked 
an explosion of scientific activity. The 
directorship was held by a series of 
remarkable men who made the garden 
the admiration of the European sci- 
entific community. The first director, 
Luigi Squalermo, was one of the first 
Italian scientists to make journeys for 
the express purpose of collecting and 
55 
