Resta Codex Facsimile Edition

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.