Otto Brunfels (c. 1489-1534), is known today as one of the three German ‘Fathers of Botany’ – the other two being Hieronymus Bock (1498-1554) and Leonhard Fuchs (1501-1566). Though Fuchs disagreed with Brunfels on a number of issues, he was conscious that Brunfels had led the way in plant iconography, declaring that Brunfels was "a learned and most industrious man, who, writing first in Latin, then in German, tried to improve and illumine herbal medicine… he deserves that all should vie in praise of him for this reason alone, that he was the first of all to bring back the correct method of illustrating plants into our Germany, giving others something to imitate." And imitate they did, though few were lucky (or skilled enough) to produce such a beautiful work of art as Brunfels’ Herbarum vivae eicones (1532).
In his botanical writings, Brunfels relied not so much on the ancient botanical authors as on his own observations & more accurate illustrations of plants. In his Herbarum vivae eicones (1530 & 1536, in 3 parts) & his 2-part Contrafayt Herb Book (1532-1537), the German plants he himself found during his botanical studies are presented with woodcuts by Hans Weiditz under their German vernacular names. Much of Brunfels' popularity owe to Weiditz's woodcuts with a new standard of direct observation & technical precision rather images copied from older works. Brunfels presented information about German plants not found in Dioscorides describing them independently of their medical values.
