The Biblioteca di Disegni, printed in Florence by Fratelli Alinari, on display at the Riccardiana from 22 June to 11 September 2026
A carefully selected group of volumes from the Biblioteca di Disegni (Library of Drawings), printed in Florence by Fratelli Alinari between 1976 and 1981, is being presented in our exhibition hall. This monumental work was generously donated to our Institute by Claudio de Polo Saibanti.
This publication is of outstanding importance, comprising 28 volumes and featuring no fewer than 1,120 collotype reproductions of drawings from the Italian schools spanning the fourteenth to the seventeenth centuries.
The 1,120 reproductions were produced by Fratelli Alinari in Florence using the last machines in the world capable of employing the collotype process, a refined artisanal printing technique invented in the mid-nineteenth century.
Alongside the reproductions, the set includes 28 volumes containing significant scholarly contributions.
Issued in a limited edition of 325 numbered copies, it represents the largest undertaking ever accomplished using this printing method.
The exhibition will be open from 22 June to 11 September 2026 and may be visited free of charge during the Library’s opening hours.
