A masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance is returning to the international market. Indeed, in May, at Pandolfini ’s Milan headquarters, an extraordinary copy of Marcus Tullius Cicero’s De Oratore, illuminated and calligraphed by Bartolomeo Sanvito (Padua, 1433 - 1518), will be auctioned. This is the last illustrated manuscript by the celebrated illuminator still in private hands, a circumstance that makes the sale an exceptionally important event in the international bibliophile scene. The estimate is 200-300,000 euros. The manuscript dates from 1499.
The occasion coincides with the first auction dedicated to ancient books organized by the auction house in its Milan office, an occasion that marks a significant step for a sector that continues to attract the interest of collectors and institutions. The manuscript, dated and signed with the author’s initials in the colophon, is considered one of the pinnacles of the production of Sanvito, a central figure in the history of humanistic calligraphy. Trained in Padua and active between Rome, Mantua and Naples, Sanvito was a central figure of European humanism, serving the most important patrons of the time such as Pope Sixtus IV, Cardinals Francesco Gonzaga, Raffaele Riario and Giovanni d’Aragona, King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary, Giuliano and Lorenzo de’ Medici and Bernardo Bembo. His work combines writing, miniature and epigraphy in a synthesis of rare formal perfection, which profoundly influenced Renaissance typography and the antiquarian taste of the Italian courts. The present manuscript belongs to the highest nucleus of his production and is unanimously considered among the absolute pinnacles of humanistic miniature.
Made for the Mantuan patron Ludovico Andreasi, formerly in the service of the Gonzaga court, the codex is distinguished not only by the quality of the writing and illuminations, but also by its state of preservation and a Renaissance architectural binding of exceptional rarity. This item, among the finest examples known today in private collections, has been reproduced as a frontispiece in the third volume of Tammaro De Marinis’ La legatura artistica in Italia nei secoli XV e XVI, confirming its iconic value in the history of ancient books.
The De Oratore, a fundamental text of classical culture and a pillar of humanistic education, finds in this specimen one of its highest material expressions. The manuscript is not only a historical document, but also an aesthetic object of extraordinary complexity, in which calligraphic art, illuminated decoration and the art of binding converge.
The provenance of the volume further helps to define its prestige. After Andreasi’s commission, the manuscript entered the collection of Baron Horace de Landau, representative of the Rothschild bank in Florence, and then passed to his niece Hugo Finaly. The latter displayed it in the famous exhibition on artistic bookbinding held in 1922 at the Pitti Palace, helping to consolidate its fame among scholars and collectors.
Specimens of such importance rarely appear on the market, especially in Italy, and their circulation represents a crucial moment for the art and collecting system. Indeed, Sanvito’s manuscript is in a range of value that goes beyond mere antiquarian interest, taking on cultural and museum significance. Pandolfini, for its part, says it is “proud to present this extraordinary lot as part of its May auction dedicated to Antique Books, confirming its role as a reference in Italy in this sector.”
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| Up for auction is the De Oratore illustrated by Bartolomeo Sanvito, a masterpiece of Renaissance miniature painting |
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