Divine Comedy - Oratoriana Manuscript

Divine Comedy - Oratoriana Manuscript

Around one hundred of the approximately 800 surviving manuscripts of the famous Divina Commedia contain drawn or painted book decoration. Of these, the Neapolitan Codex Filippino or Oratoriana Manuscript ranks as the most important southern Italian manuscript. The famous epic poem and main work of the Italian world-class poet and writer Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), which was written between 1307 and Dante's death in 1321, is of extraordinary importance for the Italian language and literary history.
It tells the story of two travelers, the ancient poet Vergil (70-29 BC) and the first-person narrator Dante, who descend to Hell (Inferno), then climb the Mountain of Purgatory (Purgatorio) and finally reach Paradise (Paradiso). On this journey, the narrator Dante meets around 600 souls from mythology, poetry and history, who - depending on their individual earthly merit or misdemeanor - have to endure various punishments in hell or are allowed to dwell in heaven. Over the centuries, the work has generated an enormous history of reception and has influenced countless poets, thinkers, artists and other creative spirits to this day.

A Neapolitan Masterpiece

The manuscript of the Divine Comedy known as the Oratoriana Manuscript owes its name to its location in the Biblioteca Oratoriana dei Girolamini in Naples, the former monastery library of the Oratorians, who were once commonly referred to as the “Philippians” after the founder of the Congregation of the Oratory - Filippo Romolo Neri (1515-1595). The manuscript, which is kept there under the shelfmark C.F. 2.16, is one of the oldest surviving Dante manuscripts, dating from around 1350 in Naples. It is one of a small group of manuscripts that cannot be assigned to any particular line of tradition and is richly illuminated. Particularly noteworthy are the numerous and extensive glosses inserted in the margins by various hands, which provide fascinating insights into the history of the manuscript's use as a study tool.

Trecento Illumination

The Codex Filippino is illuminated with astonishing 146 medium-sized miniatures by the hand of a Florentine book artist, which are intended to help the reader interpret the events described in the text. Remarkably, the cantos about paradise were not illuminated. The framed miniatures showing scenes in hell, on the other hand, are particularly impressive due to their black background.
The illumination also includes a coat of arms in the bas-de-page of the first page. It belongs to the influential Neapolitan noble family Polderico. Who exactly commissioned the manuscript and whether the coat of arms actually belongs to the patronage of the manuscript or only to a later owner cannot be said with certainty. However, the most likely theory is that it was created for the jurist Lorenzo Poderico, who, as rector of the University of Naples and advisor to Queen Joan I of Anjou, was considered one of the most learned men of his time.