Codex Sforza

Codex Sforza

This compendium of eight pages represents an elaborate booklet that was created to demonstrate to Bianca Maria Visconti (1425-1468), wife of the famous condottiero and founder of the Sforza dynasty Francesco I Sforza (1401-66), how her son and future Duke of Milan Ludovico was doing as a student. It consists of a commentary on the Rhetorica ad Herennium, a work by an anonymous author originating from the late 80’s BC and the oldest surviving Latin treatise on rhetoric, which was a popular textbook during the Renaissance and continues to be used for the study of rhetoric and persuasion today. After passing through various hands, the manuscript was purchased in London in 1860 by marquis Vittorio Emanuele Tapparelli d’Azeglio (1816-90), who in turn gifted it to King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy (1820-78).

A Princely Progress Report

Despite the fact that Ludovico Maria Sforza (1452-1508) was not expected to ever rule, being a fourth son, his mother Bianca wisely chose to have him receive a proper education befitting any prince of the Italian Renaissance. As such, he was educated in the art and letters as well as methods of government and warfare. This commentary was written on November 27th, 1467 by Ludovico when he was a 15-year-old student under the tutelage of the prominent Italian Renaissance Humanist Francesco Filelfo (1398-1481). It was then handed over to a team of illuminators who created elaborate frames with portraits of Ludovico’s family members, coats of arms, and bas-de-page miniatures showing battle scenes on land and at sea from the ancient Greeks and Romans. Deep primary colors and both gold and silver leaf were employed to help ensure that his mother was impressed with her son’s academic progress.