Riccardiana Virgil - Bucolica, Georgica, Aeneid

Riccardiana Virgil - Bucolica, Georgica, Aeneid – ArtCodex – ms. Ricc. 492 – Biblioteca Riccardiana (Florence, Italy)

Florence (Italy) β€” Around 1460

Created on commission of the famous Renaissance prince Lorenzo de' Medici: Virgil's opus magnum about the fabulous city of Troy and the legendary founding of Rome in luminous Renaissance images

  1. Apollonia di Giovanni created a fine specimen of works by Virgil (70–19) at the behest of Lorenzo de' Medici (1449–92)

  2. The primary works of the most important author of Roman antiquity are gorgeously presented here

  3. The astounding pictures show discernable influences from the political and social events of that time

Riccardiana Virgil - Bucolica, Georgica, Aeneid

Facsimile Copy Available!
Price Category: €€€
(3,000€ - 7,000€)
  1. Description
  2. Detail Picture
  3. Single Page
  4. Facsimile Editions (1)
Description
Riccardiana Virgil - Bucolica, Georgica, Aeneid

The Riccardiana Virgil is a collected volume that contains the three main works of the Roman poet Virgil (70–19 BC): the pastoral poems of the Bucolica and the Georgica, and the Roman founding myth Aeneid. Now housed in the eponymous Biblioteca Riccardiana in Florence, the codex was commissioned around 1460 by the famous patron of the arts and Renaissance prince Lorenzo de' Medici (1449–92). It was written by Spinoso and artistically illuminated by the Florentine book artist Appolonio di Giovanni. The events of the three texts come to life in 88 colorful miniatures lavishly decorated with gold, some of which remained unfinished, which is the special charm of this manuscript. They give their modern beholders a rare glimpse behind the scenes of ancient book art. Moreover, the miniatures occasionally provide small impressions of 15th-century Florence by means of specific architectural depictions or reflections on political and social events.

Riccardiana Virgil - Bucolica, Georgica, Aeneid

The so-called Riccardiana Virgil is a true masterpiece of the great literature of the Latin poet Virgil. The manuscript contains the three main works of the poet, namely the Bucolica, Georgica, and the Aeneid, the Roman foundation myth. The illuminated codex was made at the behest of the Renaissance prince Lorenzo de Medici and is one of the most magnificent masterpieces stored today in the Riccardiana Library in Florence. The pages of the manuscript are illustrated with 88 staggering miniatures, numerous patterns in the borders, and excitingly adorned initials.

The Literature of Virgil

Virgil is unanimously celebrated today by experts as the most important author of Roman antiquity. His famous works in particular, the Bucolica (Eclogues), the Georgica, and the Aeneid, and their ideas revolutionized Latin literature. Shortly after his death, these were continuously copied, re-edited, commented on, and intertextually processed. The Roman national epic, the Aeneid, conveys the foundation myth and the pre-history of the founding of the city of Rome, processing the mythological fabrics from the Homeric epics of the Iliad and the Odyssey. The Eclogues or Bucolica, are a collection of ten pastoral poems that describe the life of Romans in the countryside in ancient times and the relationship of heads of state with their people. Similar themes were also addressed in the Georgica.

Interesting Book Art of the Renaissance

The miniatures of the manuscript are attributed to the Italian illuminators Apollonio di Giovanni and the staff of his artist studio. The astounding pictures show discernable influences from the political and social events of that time. For example, an image of people in oriental garments in the text section of the Aeneid is interpreted as a symbol for the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453. The splendid miniatures show the first-rate Florentine architecture of the Renaissance in the background, in front of which people bustle in eccentric clothes made of red and purple fabrics with embellishments of gold and silver. The pages of the text are decorated with numerous embellished initials in various sizes and designs. 19 of the total of 88 illustrations were not completed. These sketches and only partially-colored pictures gives the modern beholder a glimpse in the workings of the medieval illuminator and offers them an unforgettable journey through the art of the Renaissance.

Codicology

Alternative Titles
Virgilio Riccardiano
Virgilius opera. Bucolica, Georgica, Aeneid
Riccardiana-Vergil - Bucolica, Georgica, Aeneis
Riccardiano Virgil
Size / Format
512 pages / 30.5 Γ— 20.0 cm
Origin
Italy
Date
Around 1460
Language
Script
Humanistic
Illustrations
88 miniatures, 19 of them unfinished; white vine initials
Content
Complete text of the three great works of Publius Vergilius Maro (Bucoliche - Georgics - Aeneid)
Patron
Lorenzo I. de’ Medici (1449–1492)
Artist / School

Available facsimile editions:
Riccardiana Virgil - Bucolica, Georgica, Aeneid – ArtCodex – ms. Ricc. 492 – Biblioteca Riccardiana (Florence, Italy)
ArtCodex – Modena, 2008
Limited Edition: 999 copies
Detail Picture

Riccardiana Virgil - Bucolica, Georgica, Aeneid

Aeneas’ Fleet is Wrecked in a Storm

Virgil begins his work with the Trojan fleet sailing in the eastern Mediterranean in search for a new home in Italy where it has been foretold that Aeneas will father a noble and courageous nation that will become known to all races. However, Juno is wrathful because she was not chosen in the Judgment of Paris and because her favorite city, Carthage, will be destroyed by the descendants of Aeneas. The vengeful goddess induces Aeolus, King of the Winds, to punish the Trojans with a storm.

Riccardiana Virgil - Bucolica, Georgica, Aeneid – ArtCodex – ms. Ricc. 492 – Biblioteca Riccardiana (Florence, Italy)
Single Page

Riccardiana Virgil – Bucolica, Georgica, Aeneid

The Trojan Horse

This bas-de-page miniature shows the Trojans bringing the poisoned gift of the Greeks into the city gate in a panoramic landscape seen showing Troy’s mighty walls stretching off into the distance where fields can be seen. The figures are exaggerated in size, being nearly as tall as the horse, which is supposed to be filled with dozens of warriors.

This is a testimony to the skill of the great master Apollonio di Giovanni di Tommaso, who has transformed ancient Troy into Renaissance Florence. Dressed in the elaborate fashions of 15th century Italy, the figures are depicted with great realism, emphasizing the musculature of their legs and thighs. Everything is bathed in an incredibly rich color palette embellished with silver and gold.

Riccardiana Virgil - Bucolica, Georgica, Aeneid – ArtCodex – ms. Ricc. 492 – Biblioteca Riccardiana (Florence, Italy)
Facsimile Editions

#1 Virgilio Riccardiano

ArtCodex – Modena, 2008

Publisher: ArtCodex – Modena, 2008
Limited Edition: 999 copies
Binding: Embossed leather with a fillet frame. Comes In a box of precious wood.
Commentary: 1 volume (172 pages) by Giovanna Lazzi
Language: Italian
1 volume: Exact reproduction of the original document (extent, color and size) Reproduction of the entire original document as detailed as possible (scope, format, colors). All folios are cut according to the original. 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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