Giovanni Battista Ferrari

(1582? 84-1655)

Was an Italian Jesuit scholar with a keen interest in taxonomy and classification of fruit. A native of Sienna he removed to Rome where he was appointed chair of Hebraic studies at the Collegio Romano a position he held for 28 years allowing him to give full reign to his thoughts and studies as a man of letters. In 1623,  Ferrari became horticultural advisor to the family of Pope Urban VIII, at the Palazzo Barberini, soon famous for its rare plants, including orange trees. He later wrote the first book on citrus trees, equating them with the mythical Golden Apples of the Hesperides won by Hercules. Orange trees became an important element in baroque gardens symbolizing the rewards merited by the benevolent prince.