Trained in medicine at the University of Padua, Mattioli was the personal doctor to both Ferdinand II, Archduke of Further Austria, and Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor. His position afforded Mattioli a certain amount of celebrity status amongst scholars and the general public. Demand for his published work was such that they were frequently translated from Italian into Latin, Spanish, French, German and English.

Of all his publications, it was Mattioli’s commentaries on Dioscorides’ Materia Medica that was most popular. Dioscorides (40-90 AD) was a physician and surgeon in the Roman army during the reign of Emperor Nero and wrote extensively on various medical treatments devised from plants and animals as he traveled with the army. Mattioli built upon Dioscorides’ work, first by translating and updating the Materia Medica with images, then by expanding it to include many plants not previously described by Dioscorides. As Mattioli did not personally travel, he relied on natural historians conducting field work to send him samples for his review and approval. Such was Mattioli’s prestige amongst natural historians that they were willing to part with valuable specimens to be included in his works.