Finalità e significato del restauro dei manoscritti nel secolo XV
Appunti e proposte
abstract
The present contribution is aimed at shedding focused light on some, or at least a few aspects of a (possibly) heightened ‘Humanistic’ awareness of the fact that manuscript materials are in constant need of a preservation policy. During the Humanistic period, within the frame of a renewed interest in Ancient Paganism and Christianity, an increasing amount of hardly well-known, if not almost entirely forgotten antique writings emerged. A question arises: did Humanists show a somewhat concern on material aspects such as restoration and conservation of written documents? We firstly examine the Latin technical terminology; then we discuss a passage from a letter by Ambrogio Traversari, in which an apparent allusion to an incipient, though stilly rudimentary preservation practice is detectable. Eventually, we endeavour to establish if such a practice is somewhat retraceable within the library of Nicholas the fifth, and then within the early Vatican Library.
Keywords: Manuscripts • Vatican library • Modern Latin • History of Humanism • History library