Dante at the Austrian National Library
by Fruzsina Jelen
Meeting on 11 August 2021 at the Austrian National Library
After our intellectual journey through Dante’s Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso, which started at the beginning of 2021 and took us over a timespan of about half a year, we are grateful that we had the extraordinary privilege to see some of Dante´s original manuscripts at the Austrian National Library (Österreichische Nationalbibliothek) Department of Manuscripts.
We were eager to investigate how these exquisite records found their way to the library. In many cases we learned that it was unknown where the books originated and how they found their final place at the Austrian National Library. However it is known that the vast majority of the prints were purchased by the emperor Eugene of Savoy who expanded the inventory of the library extensively.
The curators of the Department of Manuscripts generously laid out several copies of Dante’s Divine Comedy. They varied widely in appearance and we describe them below.
Our voyage began with the smallest manuscript of Dante’s Divine Comedy, which incidentally is also the smallest manuscript in the entire library. It comes from the 13th century and measures 24 x 15 mm. Each page has been handwritten, most probably with a loupe and afterwards bound together. The exact technique as to how it has been done is however unknown. (further information: https://data.onb.ac.at/rec/AC13951101).
The next piece was from the same era, with Dante and Virgil displayed on the title page. Despite the belief that Dante’s image adorns the top right corner, most probably this is not the case. In the bottom right corner one sees what appears to be a compass, though this is a mere conjecture given that it is unknown what the symbol there really stands for. In this case, the book is most probably a piece where the binding has been done with the encouragement of Prince Eugene of Savoy and is considered one of the treasures of the department (further information: https://data.onb.ac.at/rec/AC13951468).
The next piece is an incunabulum dating from 1472 in Italy and rebound in the 17th – 18th century. This book, from the 15th century, has a green symbol at the bottom of the title page, which might be a cradle; however its real significance is unknown. Most probably the incunabulum was transcribed in a former monastery, as the title page is decorated, whereas the other pages are not decorated, making them more legible. It is possible that the other pages were to be decorated at a later point (further information: https://data.onb.ac.at/rec/AC10852961).
The next early print was beautifully equipped with pictures. What was extraordinary about this piece was that the first couple of pages were of a different size compared to the rest, perhaps indicating that the book had been rebound at some point (further information: http://data.onb.ac.at/rec/AC09800438).
Another early print with “Opere al divino” on the cover depicts on the title page a monk, symbolizing the entrance to the inner life of Dante’s work. The monk is said to be Bernardino di Siena, a Franciscan of the 15th century. Below the monk a small drawing depicts Adam and Eve as well as God in Paradise. This print also has inscriptions and comments of an unknown reader. It was printed in 1512 in Venice. (further information: http://data.onb.ac.at/rec/AC09800331).
Moving into the Enlightenment era, we find an early reproduction from the 18th century, smaller than the others, with a rather classical appearance. The ornate artwork of the Renaissance prints has been replaced with simplicity and convenience: the book was clearly meant to be carried around easily as a light reading companion. It was printed in London (further information: http://data.onb.ac.at/rec/AC12134087).
The next print’s front page displayed Roman authors on the left, Italian authors on the right, and originated in 1529 (further information: http://data.onb.ac.at/rec/AC09800356).
The last piece was an incunabulum most probably from the late 18th or early 19th century. The foreword was written by Christophorus Landinus and a praise and compliment for Dante was written by Marsilius Ficinus in Latin and Italian. It also includes 19 very unique copperplate engravings from Baccio Baldini upon the sketches of Sandro Botticelli (further information: http://data.onb.ac.at/rec/AC10849899).
