When Federico died in 1482, the Codex, still incomplete, was not yet bound together and it remained that way until Francesco Maria II della Rovere had the first binding done, in yellow brocade. It was Pope Clement XI (Giovanni Francesco Albani) who had the current binding done in the Vatican, at the beginning of the eighteenth century, in red velvet, with Baroque decorations in gilded metal. These include the haraldic Papal crest, the crossed keys, the tiara at the center, an eight-pointed star, and the three peaks, symbol of the Albani family, in the corners.
A patron of refined taste and an extraordinary protagonist of the Renaissance.
Born in 1422 and taking power as Duke in 1444, Federico da Montefeltro became one of the most brilliant statesmen and military commanders of his era. A man of war but also a man of culture, he was a great patron of the arts. He financed not only the production of important manuscripts, but also paintings, including the works of Piero della Francesca such as the Montefeltro Altarpiece and the Portraits of the Duke and Duchess of Urbino. Federico’s library, the very heart of the Palazzo Ducale, was famous throughout Europe for its deep and rich collection.
The Dante Urbinate belongs to the collection entitled The Impossible Library, “La Biblioteca Impossibile,” the most authoritative and valuable collection of facsimiles of Renaissance books. This project, unique for its scope and scientific standards, was launched in 1995 by the Bibbia di Borso d’Este and continued each year with reproductions of masterpieces of medieval illuminated manuscripts, such as the monumental Bible of Federico da Montefeltro, the little Torriani Book of Hours, the sumptuous Farnese Lezionario and the very famous Très Riches Heures of Jean, Duke of Berry.