Divine Comedy Marciana

MAIN FEATURES

These are the three complete canticles, without commentaries: the Inferno on ff. 1r-25v, the Purgatory on ff. 26v-52v, and finally the Paradiso on ff. 53r-77v, written in a formal, homogeneous Italian Gothic script in two columns, with an ink that proved to have poor hold on the parchment.

There are at least three hands or workshops that take turns in the construction of the rich illustration of the codex.

In addition to the opening page decorations and leafy initials, the manuscript’s leaves contain over two hundred illustrative scenes that narratively follow the text. Among these, the famous full-page depiction of Lucifer at the end of the Inferno stands out: one of the most iconic images in Dante’s tradition, which alone makes this codex unique.

The work presents itself as a beautifully illuminated and precious manuscript, in which word and image dialogue to guide the reader on a journey that is at once literary, visual, and spiritual.

It is this intertwining of poetry and miniature that makes the Divine Comedy of St. Mark a timeless work, capable of moving anyone who contemplates it.

TECHNICAL DATA

• Location of the original: Marciana National Library of Venice, Venice – Italy
• Signature: Cod. It. IX, 276 (=6902)
• Dating of the original: 14th century AD
• Page width: 27.5 cm
• Page length: 43 cm
• Manuscript width: 29.5 cm
• Manuscript length: 45 cm
• Maximum height: 3.5 cm
• Weight: approximately 1100 g
• Binding material: leather
• Number of pages: 156
• Number of pages with miniatures and drop caps: 156
• Number of gold-decorated pages: 30
• Historical importance: very important
• Number of specimens for exclusive Antiquus sale: 200
• Total number of units produced: 1.000
• Publishing House: Imago, Rimini
• Condition: New
• Every technical detail conveys a tangible value: the quality of the leather binding, the generous dimensions of the format, the gold pages that reflect the light. Everything contributes to recreating the feel of an authentic manuscript, not just a simple copy.
• Warranty: 24 months

WHAT YOU ARE PURCHASING

• Exact three-dimensional facsimile reproduction of the manuscript “Divine Comedy of St. Mark”
• Critical commentary
• Luxury box made of eco-sustainable cardboard or, optionally, plexiglass display case
• Certificate of the olive tree donated to Salento
• Certificate of authenticity, “colophon.” It contains the following information: title of the work, owner, print run, number of the work, date, followed by the stamp and signature of the owner (usually a public library), stamp and signature of the publisher, stamp and signature of a Notary Public of the Italian Republic.
• Exclusive access to the Antiquus reserved area with in-depth digital content

It is not just a purchase: it is a rite of belonging, an entrance into the Antiquus community, where each owner becomes the guardian of an eternal heritage.

STRUCTURE OF THE WORK

3 Canticles: Inferno, Purgatory, Paradise
Each canticle has 33 cantos, except Inferno, which has 34.
Total: 100 cantos
Written in Dantean tercets (three-line stanzas in linked rhyme: ABA BCB CDC…) Dante recounts an imaginary journey to the afterlife, beginning on Good Friday in 1300. Lost in a “dark forest,” a symbol of spiritual loss, he is saved by Virgil, who guides him through Hell and Purgatory. He is then accompanied by Beatrice, a symbol of divine grace, through Paradise. The journey represents the soul’s path toward salvation and eternal bliss, and the St. Mark’s manuscript expresses its power with miniatures that become icons of contemplation.

INFERNO
Dante travels through the nine circles of Hell, where the damned suffer eternal punishment according to the sins they committed in life (lust, betrayal, violence, fraud, etc.). At the center of Hell lies Lucifer, immersed in ice.

The full-page miniature depicting him is among the most famous and evocative in the entire Dantean tradition, a vision that forever marks those who contemplate it.
Dante and Virgil go out “to see the stars again.”

PURGATORY
The mountain of Purgatory is divided into seven ledges, each dedicated to a mortal sin requiring purification. Repentant souls atone for their sins and can ascend to God.
At the summit, Dante meets Beatrice in the Earthly Paradise, symbolizing the passage from human reason (Virgil) to divine Grace (Beatrice).

Here the manuscript becomes a luminous narration: the miniatures accompany the ascent with softer colors, preparing for the ineffable.

PARADISE
Guided by Beatrice, Dante ascends through the nine heavens of Paradise, inhabited by blessed souls (saints, theologians, heroes, etc.). In the tenth heaven, the Empyrean, Dante sees God, perceived as light and pure love.

The miniatures transform into an ethereal, almost immaterial language: the color gives way to light and gold, a direct reference to the divine.

HISTORY

This manuscript has made an extraordinary journey: from Venice to Paris and back to Venice.

It was the Venetian patrician Gianfrancesco Loredan (1607-1661) who donated it to the Benedictines of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice.

After the fall of the Republic in 1797, the manuscript entered the Paris Library, marked with the red seals of its new ownership. It was returned in 1816, but in the meantime the monastery had been suppressed: the manuscript became part of the holdings of the Library of San Marco.

A luxurious codex, with every page illuminated, combining Bolognese and Emilian narrative with Lombard refinement. Each page is the fruit of a 14th-century art that blends history, culture, and beauty.

CONCLUSIONS

La Divina Commedia è un’opera che si presta a diversi livelli di lettura: poetico, morale, filosofico, teologico ed esoterico. Non è un caso che Dante e il suo maestro Guido Cavalcanti siano stati accostati ai Fedeli d’Amore, confraternita che alcuni ritengono erede dell’Ordine Templare. In questa prospettiva, Beatrice non è solo la donna amata, ma la Sapienza eterna, la Luce che illumina l’anima.

Preserving it today in the form of a three-dimensional facsimile means not only enriching one’s library, but coming into contact with the mystery of poetry itself.

A unique object, which marks its owner as the guardian of an immortal legacy.

YOUR SEAL

To make your specimen unique, choose:

1. The number that best represents you
2. The storage method: eco-friendly luxury cardboard box or one of our plexiglass display cases, to display the manuscript as a collector’s item

Your manuscript, your number, your display case: a unique legacy for you and for those who come after you.

Note: Each piece is created exclusively after purchase. During the process, we strive to keep the customer updated with photos and videos of the preparation stages of the purchased piece.

All this allows us to make your experience and the work you decide to purchase truly exclusive. For this reason, production will take 14 business days from the time of purchase. We will then ship the product via insured courier.