The Royal Library

The Royal Library brings together three of the finest works of medieval illumination. Among them is the Prayer Book of the wise and learned Pope Benedict XIV, created in the 15th century by an unknown Flemish master and decorated with an extremely magnificent calendrical. In addition, the library still contains the precious Office of the Virgin Mary of Barbara of Austria, Austrian Archduchess and, as wife of Alfonsso II d'Este, Duchess of Ferrara, who used this treasure as a private devotional book. The third work is the impressive Office of the Virgin Mary of Cardinal Ippolito d'Este and presents itself as a beautiful testimony of Milanese book illumination around 1500. The history of the manuscript is closely linked to the tragic life of Anna Sforza, the first wife of Ippolito's brother Alfonso d'Este. 12 Large-format miniatures and countless imaginative ornamental initials adorn this private devotional book, which beautifully displays the artistry of the Milanese court painter Francesco Binaso, commissioned by the Este cardinal.