Milan, Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, MS F 261 inf.

Resta Codex Facsimile Edition

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The Resta Codex is a collection of original drawings by various artists assembled by the Milanese nobleman and collector Sebastiano Resta in Rome sometime before 1706. It includes 281 drawings by some of the most acclaimed artists in European art history, the first being improbably attributed to Giotto, accompanied by Resta's discerning commentary. The codex, which escaped the destruction of many comparable bound collections, provides insight into the history of collecting and the changing status of drawings in the early modern period.

This exceptional compilation was meticulously organized into what Resta himself termed a "Portable Gallery"—an innovative concept resembling a mobile museum that allows viewers to trace the distinctive stylistic evolution of artists spanning multiple centuries, with particular emphasis on seventeenth-century masters.

A Remarkable Treasury of Renaissance and Baroque Drawings

What distinguishes this collection beyond its artistic significance is Resta's scholarly approach. The Count personally annotated each page with detailed commentary, historical context, critical reflections, and anecdotal information, creating not merely an art collection but a comprehensive scholarly resource that provides invaluable insights into the artistic developments of the period.

Distinguished Artists Featured in the Collection

The collection showcases works by the most celebrated masters of European art history, including: Leonardo da Vinci, Masaccio, Piero della Francesca, Giovanni Bellini, Perugino, Pollaiolo, Filippo Lippi, Ghirlandaio, Raffaellino del Garbo, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Botticelli, Bramante, Tiziano, Dürer, and Dosso Dossi.

The collection further encompasses significant works by Daniele da Volterra, Raffaello, Perin del Vaga, Baccio Bandinelli, Baldassarre Peruzzi, Rosso Fiorentino, Raffaello del Colle, Giulio Mazzoni, Giorgio Vasari, Francesco Brizio, Mantegna, Correggio, and Parmigianino.

Notable Baroque masters represented include Barocci, Tintoretto, Bernardino Luini, Aurelio Luini, Giulio Campi, Taddeo Zuccari, Federico Zuccari, Pomarancio, Cavalier d'Arpino, Hendrik Goltzius, the Carracci family (Agostino, Annibale, and Lodovico), Guido Reni, Domenichino, Guercino, and Bernini.

We have 2 facsimiles of the manuscript "Resta Codex":

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Manuscript book description compiled by Rosalind Phillips-Solomon.
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#1 Codice Resta

Florence: Vallecchi, 2003

+ 17

Codice Resta, Milan, Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Facsimile edition by Vallecchi
Facsimile edition by Vallecchi

+ 17

Codice Resta, Milan, Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Facsimile edition by Vallecchi
Facsimile edition by Vallecchi

+ 17

Codice Resta, Milan, Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Facsimile edition by Vallecchi
Facsimile edition by Vallecchi

+ 17

Codice Resta, Milan, Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Facsimile edition by Vallecchi
Facsimile edition by Vallecchi

+ 17

Codice Resta, Milan, Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Facsimile edition by Vallecchi
Facsimile edition by Vallecchi

+ 17

Codice Resta, Milan, Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Facsimile edition by Vallecchi
Facsimile edition by Vallecchi

+ 17

Codice Resta, Milan, Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Facsimile edition by Vallecchi
Facsimile edition by Vallecchi

+ 17

Codice Resta, Milan, Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Facsimile edition by Vallecchi
Facsimile edition by Vallecchi

+ 17

Codice Resta, Milan, Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Facsimile edition by Vallecchi
Facsimile edition by Vallecchi

+ 17

Codice Resta, Milan, Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Facsimile edition by Vallecchi
Facsimile edition by Vallecchi

+ 17

Codice Resta, Milan, Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Facsimile edition by Vallecchi
Facsimile edition by Vallecchi

+ 17

Codice Resta, Milan, Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Facsimile edition by Vallecchi
Facsimile edition by Vallecchi

+ 17

Codice Resta, Milan, Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Facsimile edition by Vallecchi
Facsimile edition by Vallecchi

+ 17

Codice Resta, Milan, Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Facsimile edition by Vallecchi
Facsimile edition by Vallecchi

+ 17

Codice Resta, Milan, Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Facsimile edition by Vallecchi
Facsimile edition by Vallecchi

+ 17

Codice Resta, Milan, Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Facsimile edition by Vallecchi
Facsimile edition by Vallecchi

+ 17

Codice Resta, Milan, Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Facsimile edition by Vallecchi
Facsimile edition by Vallecchi

+ 17

Codice Resta, Milan, Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Facsimile edition by Vallecchi
Facsimile edition by Vallecchi
  • Commentary (English, Italian) by Ravasi, Gianfranco
  • Limited Edition: 1000 copies
  • This is a partial facsimile of the original document, Resta Codex: the facsimile might represent only a part, or doesn't attempt to replicate the format, or doesn't imitate the look-and-feel of the original document.

The facsimile edition reproduces only part of the original document (100 plates).

Cased edition printed on special paper created only for this volume by Cartiere Miliani di Fabriano.

Binding

Hand-bound in leather, with golden impressions like the original book.

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#2 Cento Tavole del Codice Resta

Milan: Amilcare Pizzi, 1955

+ 3

Resta Codex, Milan, Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Facsimile edition by Amilcare Pizzi
Facsimile edition by Amilcare Pizzi

+ 3

Resta Codex, Milan, Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Facsimile edition by Amilcare Pizzi
Facsimile edition by Amilcare Pizzi

+ 3

Resta Codex, Milan, Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Facsimile edition by Amilcare Pizzi
Facsimile edition by Amilcare Pizzi

+ 3

Resta Codex, Milan, Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Facsimile edition by Amilcare Pizzi
Facsimile edition by Amilcare Pizzi
  • Commentary (English abstract, French abstract, German abstract, Italian abstract)
  • Limited Edition: 2030 copies
  • This is a partial facsimile of the original document, Resta Codex: the facsimile might represent only a part, or doesn't attempt to replicate the format, or doesn't imitate the look-and-feel of the original document.

The facsimile edition reproduces only part of the original document (a selection of 100 plates).

This edition features both the facsimile and a brief introduction in Italian, French, English, and German in a single volume.

Binding

The spine is bound in leather.

Our Price

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