PHOTO “Mona Lisa Bible”, usually kept in a safe, away from the eyes of the world, on display in Rome. What the pages of the “illuminated manuscripts” look like
The Bible was exhibited on November 13 in Rome, in the Italian Senate. Credit line: Alessandra Tarantino / AP / Profimedia
Rarely seen in public, the two-volume manuscript is now on display in Rome as part of the Vatican's Holy Year celebrations, a quarter-century tradition that draws tens of millions of pilgrims to Rome.
Commonly kept in Modena, the two-volume manuscript is considered one of the most spectacular examples of Renaissance illuminated manuscripts and is said to be one of the most expensive books of its era. It is depicted in gold and Afghan lapis lazuli, a very rare and precious stone, according to AP and Euronews.com.
The Bible was created between 1455 and 1461 by the calligrapher Pietro Paolo Marone and the illustrators Taddeo Crivelli and Franco dei Russi, commissioned by Duke Borso D'Este.
The manuscript followed the Este family from Ferrara to Modena, where it remained until the family lost control of the city in 1859 and the last duke fled to Vienna. The Bible remained in the possession of European noble families. Then the last empress of Austria sold it to a Parisian antiques collector in 1922.
Giovanni Treccani, an Italian entrepreneur and patron of the arts, learned of the sale and traveled to Paris to buy it in 1923. He bought it for 3.3 million French francs and then donated it to the Italian state.
In Modena, the bible is kept in a special display case equipped with an air-conditioning system that maintains constant humidity to protect the parchment pages, which are particularly sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity, officials say.
Alessandra Necci, director of the Gallerie Estense in Modena, describes it as the “Mona Lisa of illuminated manuscripts” due to its exceptional artistic craftsmanship and religious inspiration.
For its part, the Italian Ministry of Culture considers it one of the highest expressions of miniature art “which unites sacred value, historical relevance, precious materials and refined aesthetics”.
The Bible was exhibited on November 13 in Rome, in the Italian Senate, and will remain there until January 16.
