Borso d'Este Bible
A.D. 1455 – 1461
Facsimile Art Bible
This art bible from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City reproduces the art of the magnificent Italian Renaissance Bible of Borso d'Este. In place of the original Latin Vulgate text, this reproduction uses the beautifully written English prose from the King James Bible.
Borso d'Este, the Duke of Ferrara, was a wealthy Italian art patron. In addition to commissioning frescoes and paintings, he commissioned the illumination of a magnificent bible in 1455.
With its illuminated pages and the richness and harmony of its coloring, it stands as a remarkable example of the Italian renaissance, and is regarded as one of the most famous art treasures of Italy. This Bible was produced at Ferrara between the years 1455 to 1461, and is regarded as the most artistic and expensive Bible ever produced.
Eminent artists were employed to illustrate the Bible with miniature paintings. Taddeo Crivelli (1425-1479) and Franco Dei Russi (active 1453-1482) were the lead illuminators, but at least five different hands can be discerned in the Borso Bible. In addition to Crivelli and dei Russi, Marco dell'Avogaro, Giorgio d'Alemagna, Malatesta Romano and several other minor artists worked on the project. With more than 1,000 illustrations, the border of each page was sumptuously decorated, illustrating events from the Old and New Testaments. The manuscript was completed in 1461.
The original illustrated manuscript Bible is preserved in the Biblioteca Estense e Universitaria, in Modena, Italy.
Borso d'Este, the Duke of Ferrara, was a wealthy Italian art patron. In addition to commissioning frescoes and paintings, he commissioned the illumination of a magnificent bible in 1455.
With its illuminated pages and the richness and harmony of its coloring, it stands as a remarkable example of the Italian renaissance, and is regarded as one of the most famous art treasures of Italy. This Bible was produced at Ferrara between the years 1455 to 1461, and is regarded as the most artistic and expensive Bible ever produced.
Eminent artists were employed to illustrate the Bible with miniature paintings. Taddeo Crivelli (1425-1479) and Franco Dei Russi (active 1453-1482) were the lead illuminators, but at least five different hands can be discerned in the Borso Bible. In addition to Crivelli and dei Russi, Marco dell'Avogaro, Giorgio d'Alemagna, Malatesta Romano and several other minor artists worked on the project. With more than 1,000 illustrations, the border of each page was sumptuously decorated, illustrating events from the Old and New Testaments. The manuscript was completed in 1461.
The original illustrated manuscript Bible is preserved in the Biblioteca Estense e Universitaria, in Modena, Italy.
