Tag: Dante Alighieri

Journey through the Dante Urbinate: Purgatory, Canto II. The angel boatman
5 August 2021   |    Dante Urbinate

Having reached the shore of Purgatory, Dante and Virgil see the arrival of the angel boatman who appears luminous on his ship in the sea. Here they meet the spirit of Casella, a friend of…

Continue Reading
Journey through the Dante Urbinate: the provenance
13 July 2021   |    Dante Urbinate

By now we have seen ample evidence that the Dante Urbinate is one of the world’s priceless masterpieces, but what is its provenance, the history of its ownership? As with its production history, even its…

Continue Reading
Journey through the Dante Urbinate: Purgatory, Canto I
10 June 2021   |    Dante Urbinate

We left our two poets as they were exiting the Inferno, so now their journey continues toward the discovery of Purgatory. A large rectangular vignette with a gold leaf frame occupies the center of this…

Continue Reading
Journey through the Dante Urbinate: the fame
4 June 2021   |    Dante Urbinate

You may not know that among the thousands of volumes in the Vatican Library, the Dante Urbinate has been chosen to be shown to distinguished visitors, because of its extraordinary beauty. The critical history of…

Continue Reading
Journey through the Dante Urbinate: Canto XXXIII, the stars
1 June 2021   |    Dante Urbinate

“E quindi uscimmo a riveder le stelle.”  Our journey with Dante and Virgil through the Inferno has ended. We see the two poets as they emerge from the great rocky cave where Lucifer appears with…

Continue Reading
Journey through the Dante Urbinate: Canto XXXIII, Lucifer
20 May 2021   |    Dante Urbinate

Here, finally, the upper half of Lucifer emerges from the frozen lake. We are at the Judecca, reserved for traitors against religious and political authority. The demon Lucifer has three faces, colored red, black, and…

Continue Reading
Journey through the Dante Urbinate: Canto XXXIII, Ugolino
14 May 2021   |    Dante Urbinate

From blazing flames to ice, our journey beside Dante and Virgil continues in the ninth circle of the Inferno! The two poets have arrived at Antenora, where traitors to family or country are punished. Here…

Continue Reading
Journey through the Dante Urbinate: the parchment
11 May 2021   |    Dante Urbinate

We have mentioned the marvelous physical appearance of the Dante Urbinate but here we will focus on one aspect of its physical make-up: the parchment. The parchment of the Dante Urbinate is likely made of…

Continue Reading