Divine Comedy Codice Trivulziano 1080

Divine Comedy Codice Trivulziano 1080

Dante Alighieri (ca. 1265-1321) is considered to be the father of the Italian language and his Divina Commedia is not only considered to be the preeminent work of Italian literature but also the most important poem of the Middle Ages. The work has since influenced countless of other authors and is one of the most referenced pieces of literature in the Western literary tradition. One of the oldest, most beautiful, and most authoritative Dante manuscripts is also one of the most coveted: the Codice Trivulziano 1080 was created in 1337 in Florence and was acquired in the 19th century by Gian Giacomo Trivulzio (1774-1831), an Italian politician, art collector, and Dante scholar that has been housed in the Trivulziana Library since 1935.

Dante’s 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 (70-21 BC), 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 story of the Divine Comedy is a personal vision of Dante’s full of symbol and allegories, a philosophical fiction that is vividly told in spite of the abstract story. Dante played on man’s primal fears, brought past events to life, and slipped in contemporary theological insights. The impressive epic astounds through its figurative language, its irony, and its striking comparisons; it remains one of the most important works of world literature to this day.

Creation of the Manuscript

The manuscript is part of the Danti del Cento, a group of mid-14th century Dante manuscripts from Florence (possibly all created by the same scribe) considered to be authoritative. It was created in 1337 by Francesco di Ser Nardo da Barberino, an Italian scribe active in Florence from the 1330’s to the 1350’s, but about whom little else it known. Barberino’s meticulously written script was then embellished by the Master of the Dominican Effigies, who was active between 1328 and 1350. This anonymous master gorgeously illuminated the manuscript with all of the figures and events of Dante’s famous narrative in strong opaque primary colors and glimmering gold leaf, including masterful historiated initials. Related works from Dante’s son, Jacopo Alighieri (1289-1348), and friend, Bosone da Gubbio, append the primary text.