Codex Rustici

Codex Rustici – Leo S. Olschki – Biblioteca del Seminario Arcivescovile Maggiore (Florence, Italy)

Florence (Italy) — Ca. 1444

An account of a trip to Jerusalem famous today for its Florentine watercolors: the ornate masterpiece of the goldsmith and Marco di Bartolomeo Rustici

  1. Florentine Goldsmith Marco di Bartolomeo Rustici (ca. 1393–1457) is the author of this impressive work

  2. Rustici famously created goblets, crosses, candlesticks, figures, and other devotional objects

  3. The travelogue about a pilgrimage to Jerusalem is famous for its watercolors of Florence

Codex Rustici

  1. Description
  2. Facsimile Editions (1)
Description
Codex Rustici

The Codex Rustici, made by and named after the Florentine goldsmith Marco di Bartolomeo Rustici (ca. 1393–1457), is the account of a pilgrimage to the Holy Land enriched with numerous illustrative watercolor and ink drawings. Of particular importance are the many detailed illustrations of religious and public buildings in Florence, especially the churches, and the bird's-eye view of the city. The drawings are of inestimable value for the reconstruction of the historical appearance of the city of Florence and, apart from that, are an aesthetic feast for the eyes.

Codex Rustici

Originally titled Dimostrazione dell'andata del Santo Sepolcro or “Demonstration of the Progress of the Holy Sepulcher”, this codex is also named after its author, the Florentine goldsmith Marco di Bartolomeo Rustici (ca. 1393–1457). Rustici is recorded as having produced some wonderful commissions like goblets, crosses, candlesticks, figures, and other devotional objects for various monastic institutions. Although principally a description of a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, the manuscript is most famous for its watercolors of Florence’s churches, monasteries, hospitals, etc. Precise information about both the author and the manuscript have proved to be elusive, but the pilgrimage and subsequent text are dated to somewhere between 1425 and 1450. The work is divided into three books, the first describes Florence and the surrounding territory, the second traces his journey down the Italian Peninsula, along the Grecian coast, and across the Aegean Sea to Cyprus, and the third then covers the journey to Africa, Egypt, Mount Sinai, Jerusalem, Beirut, Damascus, Samaria, and Galilee. Rustic not only wrote but illustrated the original codex, which provides a wonderfully detailed glimpse of Italy and the Eastern Mediterranean world in the 15th century.

Codicology

Alternative Titles
Codice Rustici: dimostrazione dell'andata o viaggio al Santo Sepolcro e al Monte Sinai di Marco di Bartolomeo Rustici
Size / Format
568 pages / 41.8 × 28.6 cm
Origin
France
Date
Ca. 1444
Language
Script
Mercantesca
Illustrations
More then 100 colored pen and ink drawings
Content
Description of a pilgrimage to the Holy Land
Artist / School

Available facsimile editions:
Codex Rustici – Leo S. Olschki – Biblioteca del Seminario Arcivescovile Maggiore (Florence, Italy)
Leo S. Olschki – Florence, 2016
Facsimile Editions

#1 Codice Rustici

Leo S. Olschki – Florence, 2016

Publisher: Leo S. Olschki – Florence, 2016
Binding: Brown leather with gold stamping.
Commentary: 1 volume by Elena Gurrieri, Kathleen Olive and Nerida Newbigin
Language: Italian
1 volume: This facsimile is not complete. Reproduction of the entire original document as detailed as possible (scope, format, colors). The binding may not correspond to the original or current document binding.
Facsimile Copy Available!
Price Category: €€€
(3,000€ - 7,000€)
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