Juliet, of R & J fame, is looking for the expiration date on her bottle of Belladonna
Juliet reminded me: Shakespeare is not specific, but it must have been belladonna on his mind. His contemporary, John Gerarde, wrote that a small quantity could lead to madness, a moderate amount to a “dead sleep”, and too much to death in his Herball or General Historie of Plantes (1597). As Friar Laurance observes in the play,”within the infant rind of this small flower/poison hath residence and medicine power” and later instructs Juliet: Take thou this vial, being then in bed, / And this distilled liquor drink thou off; / When presently through all thy veins shall run / A cold and drowsy humour, for no pulse… And in this borrow’d likeness of shrunk death / Thou shalt continue two and forty hours.
Juliet considering her options and holding a belladonna? tincture in an 1830 print by William Say (British Museum) and an apothecary bottle from 1880 (Wellcome Library Images).
Friar Laurence was right: belladonna has the virtues of both medicine and poison, but throughout history, its emphasized use has been on the latter (poison-tipped arrows, “inheritance powders”, magical ointments which enable witches to fly) with the exception of the cosmetic application which explains its vernacular name, “beautiful lady”. The Renaissance image of beauty encompassed not only a high forehead but also a certain wide-eyed (literally) look, and Atropa Belladonna contains a muscle-relaxant substance (atropine) that dilates the eyes for long periods of time. Presumably the fashionable Renaissance lady had to be quite knowledgeable about how to prepare her tincture, or have a reliable apothecary.
History is Personal for Me History professor Donna Seger enjoys following her curiosity. As a longtime Salem resident, she wanted to explore more than the city’s most infamous period. Following her curiosity, she started blogging about local history and culture.
Now her blog, Streets of Salem, is over 15 years old with more than 12,000 ardent followers.
La velata, or La donna velata (“The woman with the veil”), is a well known portrait by the Italian Renaissance painter Raffaello Sanzio, more commonly known as Raphael. The subject of the painting appears in another portrait, La Fornarina, and is traditionally identified as the fornarina (bakeress) Margherita Luti, Raphael’s Roman mistress.
Portrait of a Young Woman Wearing a Floral Garland by Italian Renaissance artist Giovanni Antonio BoltraffioPortrait of Lucrezia Panciatichi painted around 1545 by the Italian artist Agnolo Bronzino
You Decide…
Elder G helps us compare and contrast. Who do you find more appealing?
New Addition to the WLBOTT Fine-ish Art Collection
We decided to add a reproduction of Ralph’s “La Donna Velata” to the WLBOTT Fine-ish Art Collection.
Perch, our artist in residence, worked diligently on the reproduction until Bev, our grouchy HR manager, insisted that Perch had misread the work assignment.
Rather than butt heads with Bev, Perch yielded to Bev’s creative vision and created this beautiful addition to our catalog: La Donna Velveeta.
Solanaceae
Solanaceae, commonly known as the nightshades, is a family of flowering plants in the order Solanales. The family contains approximately 2,700 species, several of which are used as agricultural crops, medicinal plants, and ornamental plants. Many members of the family have high alkaloid contents, making some highly toxic, but many—such as tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers—are commonly used in food around the world.
Originating in South America, Solanaceae now inhabit every continent on Earth with the sole exception of Antarctica[1].
Atropa is a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family, Solanaceae: tall, calcicole, herbaceous perennials (rhizomatous hemicryptophytes), bearing large leaves and glossy berries particularly dangerous to children, due to their combination of an attractive, cherry-like appearance with a high toxicity.
The genus is named for Άτροπος (Atropos) – lit. ‘she who may not be turned (aside)’ – one of the Three Fates and cutter of the thread of life / bringer of death – in reference to the extreme toxicity of A.belladonna and its fellow species – of which four others are currently accepted.
Atropos was one of the Three Fates and was known as “the Inflexible One.” It was Atropos who chose the manner of death and ended the life of mortals by cutting their threads. She worked along with her two sisters, Clotho, who spun the thread, and Lachesis, who measured the length. Atropos has been featured in several stories, such as those of Atalanta and Achilles.
We had an opening for an unpaid intern to head up our apothecary / alchemy division.
We referenced Atropos in the job description, and this attracted several candidates who met the criteria of “the inflexible one,” although none seemed to be the right fit.
Although highly qualified for this unpaid position, we had to pass on these candidates:
Donna Bella-Donna
But one candidate really caught our eye. Donna Bella-Donna, of the Edelweiss Gardens Bella-Donnas, was initially a fairly typical candidate, with little to distinguish herself from the others. She did, however, list friend-of-the-blott Baba Yaga as a personal reference.
And she thoughtfully brought delicious purple cookies, and after 15 minutes we knew Donna would bring something special to our group. We also saw God for three days, but that was probably a coincidence.
Timeline of the Interview:
0 minutes: Pleasant woman. Adequate résumé. Some experience with mortar and pestle. Familiar with basic alchemical safety procedures. 5 minutes: Donna produces homemade purple cookies. 15 minutes: The interview panel unanimously agrees that Donna possesses extraordinary personal magnetism. Everyone’s pupils are enormous. 45 minutes: Fred is having an intense conversation with a tapestry. Day 2:Bev has discovered that time is an illusion and HR paperwork is the only true reality. Day 3: The interview committee encounters the Divine Presence hovering over the Ladle & Lube grease trap. Day 4: Donna is offered the unpaid internship.
The official HR report naturally concludes:
Candidate demonstrated excellent interpersonal skills and brought cookies. No other unusual circumstances were observed.
Fred, the penitent Intern, connects at a deep level with a tapestry.
Donna B, as we affectionately began caller her, had several good suggestions on her first day at work. Nothing sweeps like a new broom!
She’d like a quarter acre at the WLBOTT Ag Extension (Go Waggies!) test fields to create a Tranquility Garden. She said she would source the seeds herself.
Another suggestion: Donna has three Norwegian cousins, Urðr, Verðandi, and SkuldNorn, who would be happy to work as unpaid interns (if we sponsored them in obtaining green cards). They bring special tapestry and weaving skills, and could supply our ceremonial robes.
While discussing possible ICE issues with her three cousins, Donna said, “I will take care of that.”
