The Library on display: imaginary creatures

Imaginary creatures is the first of a series of expositions that the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana will organize beginning from Spring 2007. The aim is to make the general public aware of the richness, variety and the interest of the Library’s book collections, both manuscript and printed. By choosing to illustrate a different theme each time, the Library will ‘show off’ its treasures and reveal the details of many of its most curious and splendid heirlooms. Imaginary creatures, in particular, is a representative selection consisting of 19 manuscripts and 9 printed books dating from the end of the 12th to the 18th century. They are in Latin, Greek, the Italian vernacular and Persian, and were originally produced in Italy, France, Holland and Iran. Picked out from different collections belonging to the Library, they have been chosen for the astonishing range of imaginary creatures depicted in them. A feast for the eyes, a divertissement somehow, this exposition calls everybody, young or old alike, to dive into the world of the imaginary and to enjoy the boisterous vitality of these creatures, both mysterious and familiar.

Language: Italian