The court of Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II produced nothing more amazing than the Mira calligraphiae monumenta a brilliant demonstration of two arts--calligraphy and miniature painting. The project began when Rudolf s predecessor Ferdinand I commissioned master calligrapher Georg Bocskay to create a model book of calligraphy. A preeminent scribe Bocskay assembled a vast selection of contemporary and historic scripts. Years later at Rudolf s behest miniaturist Joris Hoefnagel filled the spaces on each manuscript page with insects fruits flowers and other botanical images. The combination of word and illustration is rare and on its tiny scale constitutes one of the marvels of the Central European Renaissance. Nature Illuminated reproduces forty-one pages from the original codex. Those who love and collect beautiful books will be endlessly fascinated by Hoefnagel s imagery and invention. The accompanying commentary identifies and explains the details of Hoefnagel s exquisitely crafted illuminations.