Paradiso: The Illuminations to Dante's Divine Comedy by Giovanni di Paolo

The British Library's Yates-Thompson manuscript of Dante's Divine Comedy, probably created around 1445 to delight the King of Naples, is a unique treasure. Its 61 miniatures of the "Paradiso" - the third and last book of the poem - are firmly attributed to the Sienese artist Giovanni di Paolo, and have always been recognized as outstanding works of art. They are almost perfectly preserved, the blues and fleshtones retaining tremendous clarity and immediacy. This fabulous cycle of illustrations is now reproduced in colour for the first time. Unlike other illuminated editions of the "Divine Comedy", it not only portrays the events of the poem - Dante and Beatrice rising through Paradise and encountering various saints and saved souls - but also depicts the stories Dante hears and the metaphors and classical allusions in the narrative. Each miniature is reproduced in facsimile, together with a commentary explaining its subject and relation to the narrative, often with additional enlarged details. A substantial introduction surveys contemporary illustration of Dante and discusses Giovanni di Paolo's work in the context of his artistic career. The text of the Paradiso is provided in the celebrated translation by Charles Singleton.