The Borso d'Este Bible, often called the 'Mona Lisa of Illuminated Manuscripts,' has gone on rare public display at the Italian Senate in Rome as part of the Vatican's Holy Year celebrations. The two-volume manuscript, commissioned by Duke Borso d'Este in the mid-15th century and created by calligrapher Pietro Paolo Marone and illuminators Taddeo Crivelli and Franco dei Russi, is usually kept in a safe at a library in Modena. It was transported with elaborate security and is now showcased behind humidity-controlled glass with a digital touch-screen experience for visitors.
This exhibition matters because the Bible represents a pinnacle of Renaissance manuscript illumination, combining sacred text with lavish materials like gold and Afghan lapis lazuli. Its public viewing during a Holy Year expected to draw 32 million visitors to Rome underscores the enduring cultural and religious significance of such artifacts. The Bible's complex provenance—from the Este family's flight to Modena, to Habsburg ownership, and eventual return by industrialist Giovanni Treccani—also highlights the intersection of art, politics, and dynastic power in European history.