Manoscritti e frammenti miniati di Bibbie atlantiche in biblioteche del Veneto e della Lombardia

The essay examines the illuminations of an Atlantic Bible fragment conserved in Rovigo (Biblioteca dell'Accademia dei Concordi, Frammenti latini I) and of two Atlantic Bibles preserved one in Padova (Biblioteca Capitolare, ms. E 28) and the other in Salò (Br) (Biblioteca dell'Ateneo, ms. D 39). The presentations of the three works aims at clarifying the places and the times of their creation. Documentary evidence for the Padua and Rovigo Atlantic Bibles only date back to the fifteenth century. At that time the first manuscript belonged to the Church of Santa Giustina at Monselice (Pd), while the second was conserved in the Salo Duomo. Both of them were considered as precious treasures, howeve both manuscripts were still used, as can be demonstrated by the marginal notes. Finally, the fragment instead was reused to reinforce the bindings of two printed books belonging to the Library of Jurists in Rovigo. The study of the illuminations, together with paleography and codicology analisis, allows us to considered the Rovigo fragment and the Bible in Padua Chapter Library, as major specimens of the 'early geometrical style'. It is now also possible to confirm that the manuscripts were executed in Umbrian-Rome area, the former, in the third quarter of XI century and the latter at the end of the same century or at the beginning of the following century. The luxurios decoration of the Salò Bible, with over seventy decorated initials, one page with frame and four painted Canons Tables, is presented as an important example of the so called 'middle geometrical' style thanks to comparisons with others well known Atlantic Bible made in Rome in the first quarter of XII century.