Dante Day 2021 is especially significant because this year marks the 700th anniversary of the death of the Italian poet. He is best known for the Divine Comedy, which describes an imaginary journey through Hell, Purgatory and Heaven.
Around 850 manuscripts of the Comedy have survived over the centuries. And this is the replica of what's said to be the most beautiful Renaissance-era edition of the work. It's known as the Dante Urbinate.
LUCIA PANINI
Franco Cosimo Panini Publishing House
“The codex was commissioned by Federico da Montefeltro, and assigned to Matteo de’ Contugi, a famous copyist who'd already worked for the Gonzaga and Este families, and to Guglielmo Giraldi, a miniaturist of the school of Ferrara, who also worked with Franco dei Russi.”
Geraldi and Russi worked on the miniatures of the “Inferno” and “Purgatorio” until 1482, the year the Duke died, at which point the decoration of the manuscript was interrupted.
LUCIA PANINI
Franco Cosimo Panini Publishing House
“The work was picked up again only at the start of the 17th century, with the last duke of Urbino, Francesco Maria II della Rovere. To restore the court to its former splendor, he hired Valerio Mariani to complete the miniatures,”
The impressive binding in red velvet and gilded metal was commissioned by Pope Clement XI to replace the original.
This replica is a complete and accurate reproduction of the original manuscript. It's made of exceptional materials, three types of gold and hand-sewn ligatures and capitals.
LUCIA PANINI
Franco Cosimo Panini Publishing House
“The work is accompanied by commentary by Ambrogio Maria Piazzoni, who until a few months ago, was the Vice Prefect of the Vatican Apostolic Library. The commentary includes 14 complete essays by important Dante scholars.”
The Franco Cosimo Panini publishing house, in collaboration with the Vatican Apostolic Library and Treccani, produced 590 copies of the Dante Urbinate.
Of those, 550 are for sale, and the other 40 are reserved for the Vatican Apostolic Library and the publisher.
The Dante Urbinate is a masterpiece that captures the genius and magnificence of three eras. It is itself a work of art worthy of Dante Alighieri's brilliance.
CT
