Description
Extraordinary facsimile edition of the original kept in the Riccardiana Library, Florence, Italy. Signature ms. Ricc. 492. Dated around 1460. A 5 star in every great Library!
For the three great works of Publio Virgilio Marón (Bucólicas – Geórgicas – Eneida), this manuscript was designed by the renowned Illuminator Apollonio di Giovanni for the Medici court.
This beautiful codex of the Renaissance is of an exclusive elegance, and owes its charm to the configuration of the Aeneas trip in the splendor of the Florence of Lorenzo the Magnificent. Admiring the high-precision miniatures, the eye is lost in the infinitely small places of Alberti and Brunelleschi, in an original and seductive combination of the classic and Renaissance.
This Virgil codex represents an incredible document of Renaissance Florence, full of references to architecture, clothing, weapons and agricultural tools. Through its pages you can see a true vision of the life of the workshops, with the processing steps of the full-text thumbnails. The Geórgicas, Bucólicas and Eneida de Virgilio took place in the workshop of the famous Apolonio de Juan, where the art of the Italian renaissance in the miniature reached the height of crafts.
The history of this codex has always attracted the attention of scholars because of the puzzles that are intertwined in its pages. Both the buyer and the recipient of this manuscript have always been a mystery. Only recently is it known that political interests of the time are behind this famous work, opening new horizons for the study of one of the most fascinating creations of the Renaissance.
The enigma of the recipient is reflected in the image of the hedgehog in the center of the opening miniature, perhaps a young Lorenzo de Medici, who is engaged in his work? Only recent studies have discovered the true recipient of the codex and the profound significance of this exceptional Florentine production.
In the description of the taking of Troy, the Greeks are presented with obsolete clothes and weapons. War scenes with raw violence do not fit Virgil’s text. Finally, a disturbing flag with the Black Eagle on a yellow background constantly appears to emphasize a clear message. The costumes and architecture represented are those of Florence, recognizing several times the Medici Riccardi Palace of Via Larga.
Due to a tragic unexpected event, the codex had to be interrupted and its lighting was not completed. Rarely in history do you have the opportunity to penetrate the secrets of the transformation of a work like this. What made the author of this gigantic work stop its development, leaving many incomplete miniatures? The Aeneid contains most of the beautiful illuminations, some with a lot of gold and all with threads of gold and silver; the Bucólicas and the Geórgicas contain a main illumination at the beginning of the work. The multi-decorated and golden capitals that make up the work make up the chapter of the illuminations.
Facsimile Features:
Complete reproduction of the Ricc codex. 492 preserved in the Riccardiana Library of Florence.
Handmade leather binding, ribs, 2 closures, 22 x 32 cm format, same as the original. 508 pages on special parchment paper.
Limited edition of 999 copies, numbered and certified by the editor in the study book.
Hardcover study book with illustrated dust jacket, 20.5 x 31.3 cm format. 176 pages with texts in Italian.
Both books are presented in a beautiful and luxurious case of fine wood, with gold embossed shield and lock, format 33.8 x 43.2 x 12 cm.
Full copy and in perfect condition.
Shipping by the buyer, upon request and destination. Consult us without obligation any questions, as well as facsimile or any other item that is looking for.