Divina Commedia 1491 Illustrated Incunabulum

Divina Commedia 1491 Illustrated Incunabulum

One of the most splendid specimens of the magnum opus by the father of the Italian language: the Divina Commedia by Dante Alighieri (1265–1321) in a splendid incunabulum that was published on November 18th, 1491 in the Venetian print shop of Pietro Piasi Cremonese. This monument of world literature has enjoyed a great deal of popularity since it was first completed in 1320, and has been one of the most influential works in history. This particular specimen is noteworthy as a pre–1500 print, known as an incunabulum, and these printed versions managed to avoid many of the errors that could be made by scribes when making a handwritten copy.

The Poet’s Personal Vision

In his epic, Dante takes the reader with him on an adventurous journey of a very special kind. Together with the Roman poet Virgil, he traverses Hell, ascends the mountain of Purgatory, and finally enters Paradise. In doing so, each stage is in turn divided into nine concentric rings. During this excursion, he meets approximately 600 souls from mythology, poetry, and history, who have to endure various punishments in Hell or dwell in Heaven, each in accordance with their own deeds. The rich imagery and dense symbolism of the text have made it a rich source of inspiration for artists of various disciplines over the centuries.

A Special Annotated Copy

This edition of Dante’s work is appended by a commentary by Cristoforo Landino (1424–98), who was an important Florentine humanist and a champion of Italian vernacular as well. The impressive décor of the codex consists of more than 400 miniatures and 100 woodcuts, including 3 full-page depictions, by the artist Antonia Grifo (ca. 1430–1510). It appears to be a homage to the condottiero Galeazzo Sanseverino (ca. 1460–1525). He fought for both Milan and France and was even present at the famous meeting between Francois I of France and Henry VIII in 1520 known as the Field of the Cloth of Gold before being killed in the Battle of Pavia (1525). Very little is known about the ownership history of the particular codex at hand, but it may have been the personal copy of the text’s editor, Pietro da Figino. This would explain the prolific, dense notes that are written in the margins of the text. It was acquired at auction by the Italian government in 1927 and has resided in Rome’s Casa di Dante ever since.