Book one dedicated to Mirabil Signore Donno Aloise da Este Illustrissimo e Reverendissimo

The manuscript of Nuove pitture del Doni fiorentino (Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, ms. Patetta 364), entirely published with this volume for the first time, is a very interesting outcome of Sixteen Century culture. The work was never published even if Doni used the material in a volume published at Padua by Grazioso Percaccino in 1564, Le pitture del Doni, Accademico Pellegrino. The high quality of rawings of this manuscript, beginning from the very beautiful  vegetable frame of racemes weaved with flowers and fruits, is completely attributed to Doni who drawed and conceived it to give a present to Luigi d’Este. Using the charm of symbols, the book presents a series of allegorical representations  devoted to important subjects – love, death, fortune, time – to be carried to painting. The “inventions” proposed by Doni are not the only attraction of the book: the writer was able to create a refined link between text and images where plays on words and decorated initial letters with sayings and inscriptions stimulate the attention and the curiosity of the reader. In this context musici s not excluded: Doni ends the book with a pentagram and a musical composition. This edition sets off the extraordinary graphical quality of the manuscript through an anastatic achieved with photos of very high quality. The text transcription, accompanied by a wide comment, is followed by a  critical essay whose aim is to bring out the various possible interpretations of the book. Two statements close the book; they are devoted respectively to musical ability of Doni and to linguistic distinctiveness of this text.

Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, ms. Patetta 364
Edited by Sonia Maffei

Text edition, presentation, transcription, notes and critical essay by Sonia Maffei.
With a musical note of Virgilio Bernardoni and a linguistic note of Carlo Alberto Girotto.

Co-edition by Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana

Price Euro 130,00

Naples, 2007