Flavius Blondus: Roma Instaurata
€35
How would you feel, when holding in your hand a codex from Matthias Corvinus’s library, the Bibliotheca Corviniana, which was Europe’s greatest collections of secular books: historical chronicles, philosophic and scientific works in the fifteenth century. His library was second in size only to the Vatican Library. In 1489, Bartolomeo della Fonte of Florence wrote that Lorenzo de’ Medici founded his own Greek-Latin library encouraged by the example of the Hungarian king.
About the original edition
Flavio Biondo (Flavius Blondus) was the secretary of the Pope and a historian. His work „Roma Instaurata” was the first systematic and thoroughly proved description of the Eternal City. Biondo was born in Forli and was studying in Cremona. After getting involved in the confused political situations of the age he was living in exile for a long time in Imola, in Ferrara and in Venice until Jenő IV. employed him at the court of the Pope. He published three books collecting the antique Italian ruins known at that time: Roma Instaurata (1440-63), Roma Triumphans (1456-60) and Italia Instaurata (1456-60).
About the reprint edition
Now you can order a reprint edition of a Corvina, the original of what is kept in the Hungarian Szechenyi Library. We made this edition in hardcover, but you can order it in facsimile edition, too. Please find it in the descriptions below!
Description
You can buy this book in facsimile edition too.
The Remains of Antique Rome – The Beginning of Archeology
In the 14th century the differrent material and literal remains of the ancient world had determinant effects on the intellectual life in Italy. Certainly the most and greatest of the remained ruins were in Rome, so the city was a popular target for travellers even in the middle ages. The passer-bys in Rome were happy to supply the pilgims with different unreliable information. Many of the once spleded buildings had undoubtfully disappeared by that time. When in 1430 Poggio Bracciolini climbed the Capitol he saw only deserted fields around. The Forum was inhabited by pigs and unweeded vegetation.
By the 15th century some of the scientists of the court, like Leon Battista Alberti, the famous arhitect and historian started to uncover and identify the old buildings, sculptures, “recreate” the ancient city. Within a short time they had learnt Rome better, than anyone else in one thosand years. Artists drew the remained crumbling, ivy-covered ruins and tried to reconstruct the original beauty of the palaces and temples. Architects were searching the building rules and methods. The drawings and prints went round in whole Europe.
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