Ercole I d’Este, Duke of Ferrara and Modena from 1471 to 1505, made a decisive contribution to the prosperity of Ferrara. The Duke’s active patronage of the arts was a fundamental element of his strategy for political affirmation and for the strengthening of cultural identity.

One of the luxurious manuscripts he commissioned, completed around 1492, was the Breviary of Duke Ercole I of Ferrara, which was purchased by Calouste Gulbenkian in 1920 and is now part of the Founder’s Collection. In this presentation we will discuss issues related to the codex’s place and date of origin, the style of its illumination, its artistic influences, testimonies of Renaissance trends and the endurance of medieval models.

Lecture by: Paula Cardoso and Catarina Tibúrcio

This by lecture is part of the seminar cycle Treasures on Parchment. Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian’s collection of western illuminated manuscripts.