Biblioteca Estense
The Biblioteca Estense (Estense Library), was the family library of the marquises and dukes of the House of Este. The exact date of the library's birth is still under speculation, however it is known for certain that the library was in use during the fourteenth century.[1] Whilst it was greatly enriched during the Renaissance years in Ferrara, the library was concretely established in Modena in the beginning of the seventeenth century. It is known as one of the most important libraries in Italy.[1] The library is located, along with the Galleria Estense directly below its collection of artworks, in the Palazzo dei Musei (Piazza Sant'Agostino 337) in Modena.
History
On the ascension of the Marquis
In the following centuries, the Estense Library continued to be enriched with local and international works, funded by the acquisitions of suppressed religious institutions as well as enriched by the elevated tastes of famous librarians
Collection
Today the Library's collection contains more than 500,000 printed works, about 11,000
The library holds many medieval manuscripts, among them biblical manuscripts: Codex Mutinensis, Minuscule 358, 359, 585, 586, 618, ℓ 111.
Also known worldwide is its collection of musical manuscripts and printed books, the Raccolta musicale estense.
Some manuscripts
- Biblia Borsi Estensis
- Codex Mutinensis
- Codex de sphaera
- Mutinensis gr. 122
- Minuscule 585
- Minuscule 586
- Minuscule 358
- Minuscule 359
- Minuscule 618
- Lectionary 111
References
Related entries
- Gallerie Estensi
- Borso d'Este
- Galleria Estense
- House of Este
Further reading
- Giulio Bertoni, La Biblioteca Estense, Torino 1903
- Archivi di biblioteche: per la storia delle biblioteche pubbliche statali, Roma: Ed. di storia e letteratura, 2002
External links
- Biblioteca Estense official website. Mid-resolution PDF's of some manuscripts and printed books can be downloaded for free from the Immagini (Images) section
- Direttori della Biblioteca Estense di Modena, with links to biographical sources
- Biblioteca Estense images
- Biblioteca Estense: sei secoli di storia at the mediateca2000