Divine Comedy - Estense Manuscript

Divine Comedy - Estense Manuscript

The manuscript by the famous poet Dante Alighieri, which is also known as the Divine Comedy, is considered to be one of the most important literary works of all time. Dante’s influence on the world of poetry cannot be expressed in words. His most famous manuscript, which has been continuously revised over the centuries, exists today in countless various editions. The version at hand originated from a commission of the Italian noble family of Este. Each page of the work is illustrated with image scenes above the written text. The pictures enchantingly visualize the occurrences in the text.

A Unique Edition

The codex originates from the 14th century, or between 1380 and 1390 to be precise. Dante, the original author of the extremely complex story, had been dead for 60 years at this point. Nonetheless, the edition of his Divine Comedy at hand appears as though designed by the author himself. It is one of the few complete editions existing worldwide. Certain elements are missing in most of the other transcripts that were omitted to simplify the events. To this day, the splendid work is the subject matter of historical research and continuously provides new contributions with regard to philosophical studies.

Powerful Illumination

This manuscript, which was financed by a member of the Este family, is a truly unique work of the medieval art of illumination. It is one of the few editions of the Divine Comedy which is completely illuminated. Three excellently wrought, full-page miniatures open the three parts of the literary masterpiece. The large-format pictures are framed by splendidly patterned Bordures. The hand-written text is ennobled with elaborately designed initials. A biblical scene can be found on the upper edge of each page, which illustrates the scene described on the respective page.

In the Possession of Great Noble Houses

The book displays a great read coat of arms with a blue band on the lower-middle section of the first page. This escutcheon represents the patron of the precious book treasure, the identity of whom has never been established with certainty, it is only known that the commission came from the house of Este. The last page of the work shows a monogram in front of a solar symbol. It is the prestigious symbol of sovereignty of the Sun King Louis XIV. Under Napoleon, the book was taken into the French National Library in Paris. Having said this, the royal sun had to be removed from it beforehand. The exact destiny of the masterpiece thereafter is not known to us. In the year 1816, the librarian of the Biblioteca Estense, Antonio Lombardi, arranged for the return of the document to Italy upon the express request of the Duke of Modena.