Citrus Mania
Golden Fruit in Princely Gardens
Eine virtuelle Ausstellung von
Introduction
Citrus, lime, orange and mandarin can be found in any convenience store – fresh fruit, as juice, canned, or in any other form you can imagine. The various citrus fruits are, in fact, the second most popular fruit on planet earth, with only bananas representing a larger share of global production.
There is also a historical and botanical background to these sweet and sour fruits, which cannot be comprehended in the slightest by just looking at the actually rather small assortment you can find in stores today. Humanity’s fascination with these „golden apples“ can be traced back to ancient Greek myths, and their great variety was celebrated by Kings and Princes during the European baroque era. We will explore how this is all connected, and why the baroque "Citrus Mania" is still fascinating to this day.
Variety
While there are more than five thousand different kinds of citrus fruit, only a remarkably small number of these can be found in convenience stores. This comes down mostly to the fact that uniformity is strongly desired – fruits of roughly the same size, looks and taste are easier to transport, make for a nicer presentation in the store and are thus ultimately easier to sell.
The Kings and Princes of the baroque era, on the other hand, valued citrus fruit because of their great variability. Not only are citrus fruits prone to spontaneous mutations, such as developing a thicker skin, for example, but they are also easy to crossbreed into new variants.
A particular quirk of citrus fruits is that the same pair of fruits can yield different offspring, depending on which pollen (i.e. the „father“) is used to pollinate the opposing flower (i.e. the „mother“) – thus, two parents can yield four different offspring, all with distinct looks and properties! These offspring can then be crossbred again, amongst themselves and even with one of their parents, once again yielding distinct new varieties.
Modern Citrus Culture
Today, roughly 120 million tonnes of citrus fruit are produced each year. Most popular among them is the orange, which accounts for slightly less than half of total production. One reason for this is the ubiquity of orange juice, as about 40% of all harvested oranges are turned into juice.
Ecological implications
Citrus fruits are most commonly grown in large, monocultural plantations. The ecological implications are vast: the citrus plants thirst for water alone can have a destabilizing effect on local ecosystems. To produce enough oranges for one litre of orange juice, plants will require roughly twenty-two litres of water.
The large monocultures are also susceptible to a wide variety of vermin and pests. This, naturally, leads to widespread usage pesticides and fungicides, to secure stable levels of production. It should not be surprising that these can leave behind ecologically damaging residue, especially as a large part of global citrus production is located in poorer and less well-regulated parts of the world.
01
Ancient and early-modern myths of the Golden Apples
Hercules and the Golden Apples
The passion for collecting citruses originates from the ancient myth of the golden apples being stolen by the heroic Hercules: for their wedding, Zeus and Hera, the highest-ranking couple of Olympus, were given a tree bearing golden fruit, which promised eternal life, love and fertility. The tree grew in the grove of the gods and was tended to by three sisters, the Hesperides: Aegle, Arethusa and Hesperthusa. In addition, the dragon Ladon guarded it.
In order to carry out penance for an injustice committed, twelve labours were bestowed on Hercules, stealing the golden fruit being the second to last. For the completion of his arduous, but virtuous deeds, Hercules was presented the prospect of immortality and a seat amongst the gods. Several versions exist about the exact order of events: the most famous variant tells us of Hercules entering Hera’s cove and taking the fruit by force. A second account depicts the Hesperides handing the golden apples over to Hercules voluntarily.
Continuing the Myth
The picture of Hercules being offered a laurel wreath that you just saw is taken from Giovanni Baptista Ferraris Hesperides sive de malorum aureorum cultura et usu libri quatuor (Hesperides, or the Cultivation and uses of the Golden Apples). This book is the first published treatise on citrus fruit. While it mostly deals with practical questions on the cultivation of citrus fruit and botanical descriptions, Ferraris was also intent to provide an explanation on how the golden fruits had arrived in his native Italy.
To do this, he continued the ancient myth: Hercules theft had desecrated the divine garden. The Hesperides, Aegle, Arethusa and Hesperthusa were forced to leave the garden, and took a single Citron, Lemon and Bitter-Orange tree with them. Favourable winds then carried them to Italy, where they decided to settle.
Ferrari was also eager to explain the mutations and crossbreeds of citrus fruit. Since a scientific, or in Ferraris words "philosophical", explanation left many questions unanswered, he once more turned to a self-created myth.
He tells the tale of young Harmonillus, whom the god Apollo invites to Mount Parnassus in order to develop his singing voice. However, the jealous Muses Urania and Thalia scheme against Harmonillus, who is turned into a citron-tree by Apollo. The tree itself bears fruit in the form of human fingers (Citrus medica var. sarcodactylis, also known as "Buddha’s hand").
Shortly thereafter, Tirsinia, mother of Harmonillus, is worried about her son’s whereabouts. She dispatches a friend to search for him, who discovers his grisly fate. The friend then begs Apollo to at least return a fruit of the citron-tree to Tirsinia. When the fruit is handed to Tirsinia, she decides to accompany her son into the afterlife, and is turned into a lemon-tree, which bears a fruit that is encapsuled in a second fruit (Citrus limon foetifera, also known as navel-fruit, symbolizing the sons return to his mother’s navel).
Ferrari ends his tales with that of Leonilla, the sister of Harmonillus. As she returns from hunting, she sees the lemon-tree bearing her mother’s face. With a despairing cry ("Nothing shall ever separate me from you!"), she is also turned into a tree. This one bears bitter-oranges, as red as Leonillas hair and a rind full cracks and tears, symbolizing the daughter’s despair at the fate of her family (Citrus aurantium ‚callosum').
In 1708 and 1714, Johann Christoph Volkamer, a merchant and citrus-lover from Nuremberg, published his "Nürnbergische Hesperides" (roughly translated: "Nurembergian Hesperides" or "Hesperides of Nuremberg"), a two-volume treatise on citrus-fruit. This was the first entirely German monograph on citrus-fruit. Just like Ferrari, Volkamer paid homage to the myth of Hercules and the Hesperides.
The cover page shows Noris, personification of Nuremberg, as she is presented with gifts of lemons, citrons and bitter-oranges by the Hesperides. In the foreground, we can see "Vatter Pegnitz" (roughly translated: "Old Pegnitz" or "Father Pegnitz"), a river god representing the river of the same name, which crosses Nuremberg. Far in the background, to the right, we can spot a statue of Hercules, with the slain dragon Ladon at his feet - a clear sign that Volkamer saw Nuremberg as the new home of the Hesperides and their fruit.
The division of all citrus-fruit into three groups, citrons, lemons and bitter-orange, was another commonality between Volkamer and Ferrari. Likewise, Volkamer attributed each of the groups to one of the three Hesperides.
This was an attempt to systematize and organize the vast number of citrus fruit already known. Today, the groupings according to Ferrari and Volkamer are seen as inaccurate at best, and mostly disregarded. However, that Volkamer and Ferrari even made such an attempt is a clear sign of how serious they took their work.
02
Citrus-fruit in early-modern literature
The practical use of citrus
The practical usage of citrus-fruit played an important part in publications in the early-modern age. As early as 1586, Joachim Camerarius published a German translation of an Italian/Latin book on herbs and plants, originally by Pietro Mattioli. This so called Kreutterbuch (roughly translated: "Herbbook" or "book on herbs") includes several passages on the medicinal use of citrus-fruit. They claim citrons would cure "pestilent fever", "evil airs" as well as "melancholia".
However, the dietary uses were also discussed early and widely. An example of this would be Johann Sigismund Elsholtz Diateticon, published in 1682. Elsholtz recommends the juice of lemons and bitter-oranges to season Meat, fish and pastries. He also includes recipes for jellies, purees and lemonades.
The aforementioned Johann Christoph Volkamer, on the other hand, would put botany at the centre of his treatise. The impassioned collector spent vast amounts of effort (and money) on cultivating different citrus-fruit in his Nuremberg garden, as well as ordering fruit that were unknown to him from Italy. He would then draw them in great detail, often including branches, buds and blossoming flowers. In the finished books, the fruit were combined with landscapes, which often lead to bizarre and surrealistic compositions of gigantic fruit seemingly hovering in the sky.
In addition, Volkamer would pen a descriptive text, which did not limit itself to just botanical facts. About Limon melarosa, he writes:[...]they have a very special lovely and agreeable smell / quite like rosewood / which mayhap is why the name Mela Rosa was bestowed upon them [...]
Another topic of Volkamers was the appropriate care and cultivation of the plants themselves. This included some rudimentary knowledge of bugs and vermin. About the pictured coccids, he writes:
[...] after this they grow a casing on their back / so that they look like bed-bugs or tiny turtles [...]
To get rid of these pests, he recommends to "wipe them off [the plants] at times with a brush".
03
Citrus-Culture beyond the Alps - Forms and positions of orangeries
The "dismantleable" bitter-orange house
We already discovered that citrus-fruit are sensitive when it comes to climate. Growing citrus north of the Alps was complicated by the fact that the plants would often die during the cold winter. Anyone who wished to walk in the footsteps of mighty Hercules, be they a wealthy Prince or a common merchant, would need to protect his golden fruit from the bitter cold.
This led to the establishment of so-called "orangeries", purpose built structures to house citrus during the winter. The most primitive of these was the "dismantleable" variety. The citrus would be planted in the garden grounds, and when winter was about to hit, a wooden structure would be erected around them. In spring, it would be dismantled again. More advanced variations included stone houses, with a removable front wall. Volkamer's garden in Nuremberg featured one of these.
Citrus fruit among commoners
Before we head on to the princely and royal gardens, a few words on the "Citrus Mania" among the common people. While Johann Christoph Volkamers' garden was certainly the most famous among Nuremberg’s gardens, it was not the only garden growing citrus. In the 18th century, about 70% of the many gardens in Nuremberg had at least one citrus-plant growing in them. The passion for citrus, and the respectability that the successful cultivation entailed, was widespread among well to do commoners.
The Princely Orangery
The Orangery as a specific structure was mainly the domain of Princes and noblemen more generally. The buildings had their own heating, to keep the citrus-plants, now grown in movable tubs, warm during the winter. In summertime, the tubs could be brought out into the garden.
In this example from Erlangen, the Orangery was conceived as part of the princely palace itself. As such, it had to be ready to be used during representative functions such as dances or banquets and also included apartments for visitors. The never completed second building was supposed to house the palace's chapel.
The Orangery as part of the enclosure
Using the Orangery building itself as part of the gardens enclosure was very common. At Gaibach Palace, pictured here, the structure was intricately designed to be an eye-catcher, while at the same time shielding the garden from outside view. In combination with hedges, the garden could be enclosed or partitioned into multiple distinct areas.
The Orangery as part of a sloped construction
When necessary due to large differences in height, it was also possible to integrate an orangery into a hillside slope. The most famous example is, of course, the Orangery of Versailles, built just below the Parterre du midi. From the parterre, a visitor can descend the stairs that flank the orangery, accompanied by a breath-taking view of the many citrus-plants arranged below. At the same time, the stairs act as an enclosure, trapping additional heat and thus contributing to a climate favourable to citrus.
The Orangery-Quarter
The orangery could also occupy a distinct part, or "quarter", of the gardens. In this case, an entire area would be turned over for the use of cultivating citrus, emphasizing functionality over pure aesthetics. Such a quarter would usually include housing for the gardeners, as well as storage rooms for fertilizer, soil and fuel for heating.
The map on the right shows the gardens of Schwetzingen Palace, which include an orangery built on orders of Elector Charles Theodore of the Palatinate.
The citrus-plant as part of the baroque garden
The placement of the tub-plants on walls, ramparts and terraces, or alongside fountains and pathways usually followed architectural considerations. The plants were meant to underscore other parts of the gardens structure.
The baroque garden followed strict geometric rules, which were applied to the plants as well. They were not only placed at exact, regular intervals, they were also cut into consistent patterns and heights. The natural growth of the plants was disregarded completely, and from a distance, the plants would look indistinguishable. To enjoy the large variety that was actually present, the visitors had to get very close.
04
Orangeries in architectural treatises
Orangeries in architectural treatises
Even though medicine, botany and the cultivation and proper care of citrus-fruit were in the focus of literature at first, the construction and architecture of orangeries as well as gardens in general soon devolved into its own sub-genre of literature. We have already discovered the manifold properties that an orangery might require - proper insulation during winter, being a part of the gardens design, representative functions - which were also covered in many variations by authors and architects of the time.
05
Orangery Culture at Benrath Palace
A long tradition
There is a long and rich history of Orangery Culture at Benrath Palace. As early as the year 1700, the Elector John William of the Palatinate (1658-1716) was cultivating citrus fruit in the gardens of the old palace.
Elector Charles Theodore (1724-1799), who ordered the construction of the new palace in 1755, continued in the footsteps of John William by converting the northern wing of the old castle into an orangery. Over a hundred plants were kept and cared for. In the warm summer months, the tub-plants were moved to the southern terrace of the palace and the private gardens of the Elector and his wife.
Orangery Culture during the 19th century
In the 19th century, the Rhineland, as well as Benrath Palace, became part of Prussia. The Palace was used as a residence for the local military commanders, usually members of the ruling Hohenzollern dynasty. The most prominent examples of this are Prince Frederick of Prussia (1794-1863) and his wife, Princess Wilhelmine Louise of Prussia (1799-1882), who lived in the palace for several years. During this time, the importance of the orangery among courtly functions was still very large. So large, in fact, that more than 3000 citrus and other exotic plants were kept at Benrath Palace.
The 20th century and present day
Shortly after the monarchy was abolished in 1918, Benrath Palace passed into municipal ownership. The cultivation of citrus-plants continued nonetheless. Unfortunately, the collection of exotic plants was destroyed during the Second World War. But in the 1980s, a new collection of tub-plants was started, and these plants are to this day placed in many traditional locations around the palace grounds. The "Citrus Mania" is alive and well, having come a long way since the distant past of antique myths and the fanciful ideas of Princes and merchants that once fuelled it.
Eine virtuelle Ausstellung von
Begleitend zur Ausstellung "Zitrusmanie. Goldene Früchte in fürstlichen Gärten" im Museum für Gartenkunst der Stiftung Schloss und Park Benrath.
7. April - 18. September 2022
Team
Digitale Ausstellung:
Christian Dickmeiss
Analoge Ausstellung:
Eva-Maria Gruben
Digitale Ausstellung:
Bearbeitung: Christian Dickmeiss
Mit Texten von: Eva-Maria Gruben, Gunnar Gad
Analoge Ausstellung:
Konzeption und Realisierung: Eva-Maria Gruben
Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeit und Ausstellungssekretariat: Silke Tofahrn
Impressum
Stiftung Schloss und Park Benrath
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den Vorstand der Stiftung Schloss und Park Benrath:
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