Image: Alessandro Tartagni,Commentaria in I. & II.
Digesti Veteris partem, vol. 1, Venice,
Lucantonio Giunta, 1593 (Law Library,
ANTICO L4 Armadio 5 GF-ANAST 05; origin: Giovanni Antonio Guerrieri), c. A1r (title page).
The collection contains almost 1700 volumes, whose dates of publication span from the 16th to the 20th century, and it was formed both thanks to purchases on the antiques market recommended by department lecturers, and through donations. It is common to find ex-libris and other traces in the books that indicate past owners of the volumes, which are often attributable to acquisitions of private collections: this is the case, for example, of the books that belonged to Senator Giovanni Martinelli (1841-1919), a former Chancellor of the University of Ferrara, which were received by the library in the 1950s.
In the collection, which also includes two manuscripts and several manifestos, there is no shortage of works by authors from Ferrara or who studied in the city; along with these are publications on local topics, in some cases published here in Ferrara. Some of the oldest are Legendario e vita et miracoli by Santo Maurelio (Ferrara, Francesco Rossi, 1570), the Tractatus clausularum instrumentalium by Bartolomeo Bertazzoli (Venice, Fioravante Prati, 1598), the two volumes of Commentariorum ad statuta Ferrariae by Ercole Piganti (Ferrara, Francesco Suzzi, 1650-1651) andEditto sopra la guardia del Po in occasione d'escrescenza by Tommaso Ruffo, published in Ferrara in the "Press of the Holy Apostolic Chamber" in 1728.
The collection is found in the Law Library, in Palazzo Trotti-Mosti.
Owners of pieces in the collection
[organisations are preceded by *]
- Ala[...], Paolo
- Alan[..], Giuseppe
- Albani, Domenico
- Alteri, Carlo
- Angelici, Giovanni Battista
- Angelini, Angelo
- Antoli, Giovanni Francesco <friar>
- Antolini, Patrizio
- Antonini Artimini, Evangelista
- Arcangeli, Alessandro
- Arch., Mich.
- *Sant'Anna Central Hospital <Ferrara>
- Arobrandi
- Banffi, Dionysius <count>
- Barbantini, Francesco
- Barificis, Emigdius
- Barotti, Giovanni Andrea
- Bartolo, Paolo
- Bassani, Enrico
- Bavelli, Tommaso Fernando
- Beichis, Francesco
- Benetelli, Mosè Maria <minim friar>
- Bennati, Alessandro
- Bertolani, Carlo
- Bertoni, Andrea
- Betta, Carlo
- Bianchetti, G. B.
- Bianchi, D.
- Bianchini, Francesco
- *Ariostea Library <Ferrara> - stamp 3
- *Caproni Library, Vizzola
- *Travelling library, Portomaggiore
- *Ariostea Municipal Library
- *Borgettiana Municipal Library, Macerata
- *Collegio di Crema Library
- *Alba Seminary Library
- *San Bartolomeo Library, Rovigo
- *Library of San Pietro in Vincoli
- *Ferrara Public Library
- *Geneva Public Library
- *Bibliotheca Caesarensis Mediolani Palatina
- *Bibliotheca Hippolitana Piarum Scholarum
- *Bibliotheca Margaritis
- Bini, Modesto
- Bixio, Enrico
- Boari, Achille
- Bock, H.
- Bondeni, Vincenzo
- Borboni, Barnaba
- Bordini, Antonio
- Borghesi, Agostino
- Bottoni, Flaminio
- Bottoni, Giovanni
- Braccioli Ronchi, Grato
- Brandi, Aloisio
- Brario, Augusto, da Mayernborg
- Brunetti, Giovanni
- Buffio, Agostino
- Calcagnini, Carlo Leopoldo
- Calvi, Lorenzo
- Candian, Alberto
- Caputo, Vincenzo <1925- >
- Carletti, Giorgio Aroldo
- Carpi, Francesco
- Casa[...], Giovanni Battista
- Casalini, Angelo
- Cassinelli, Edoardo
- Castelli, Ippolito
- Castioglioni, Francesco
- Cavati, Carlo Antonio
- Celeri, M. R.
- Cereti, Francesco
- Cerù, Ernesto Gaetano Maria
- Cerù, Giovanni Salvatore
- Cerù, Ottaviano
- Cheli, Leandro
- Chicoli, Almerico Giuseppe
- Chiocci, Filippo
- Ciotti, Giulio
- Coda, Michele
- *Collegio Sant'Aspreno of the Camillian Clerics Regular, Naples
- Conelli, Pietro
- *Capuchin Convent, Rovigo
- *Convent of the Barefoot Friars of Sant'Agostino, Saluzzo
- *Theatine Convent <Ferrara>
- *Convent of S. Carlo dei Riformati
- Correggiari, Leopoldo
- Cresci, Alessandro
- Curioni, Giovanni Gabriele.
- Cusani Scarampi
- De'Santi, Andrea
- De'Santi, Niccolò
- De_Carli, Giuseppe
- De_Colombi, Cesare
- De_Finali, Giovanni Battista
- De_Gerris, J
- Del_Giudice, Antonio <lawyer>
- De_Pacifici, Giovanni
- De_Reali, Agostino
- De_Rosalia
- De_Sandoz Rollin, Louise
- De_Stefani Ginetti, Filippo
- De_Venturi, Lorenzo
- Diloni, Giovanni Battista
- Donato, Andrea
- Engelschalcks, Johann
- F. M. L.
- Fabbri, Fabiano
- Fanelli, Filippo Saverio
- Fano <Family>
- Fanolli
- Fava, Domenico
- Filipponi, All.
- Filonus, Johannes Baptista
- Finzi, Marcello
- Fisi, Giacomo Serafino c
- Foglietti, Domenico
- *C. Goretti Foundation
- Francesco <friar>
- Francesco Maria d’Arezzo <friar>
- Frosini, Vincenzo
- Funaro, Giuseppe
- Galvani, Francesco
- Gandolfo, Rolando
- Garibaldi, Cesare
- Gattelli <family>
- GB
- Gerbaldi, Vito
- Gervaise, D.
- *Jesuits < Ferrara>
- Ghezzi, Antonio Paolo
- Giadaino, Girolamo
- Giolo, Pietro
- Giraldi, Giambattista
- Gotti
- Gratiadei, Ercole
- Graziani, Giovanni Paolo
- Grillotti, Niccolò
- Grinfield
- Guerrieri, Giovanni Antonio
- Guglielmi, J. L.
- Hartmann, E. F. G.
- Heckenhauer, J. J.
- Heconi, J. K.
- Hildebreud, B.
- Hinterwaldner, Jakob
- HN
- J. S.
- Jannini
- JBD
- Johannes
- K. P. G. C.
- Keller, E.
- Lagarde
- Landi, Ottavio
- Laperini, Giovanni Filippo
- Lavizari, Egidio
- Lavizari, Pietro Angelo
- Lazzerini, Biagio
- Levi, Emanuele
- *A. Durand Bookshop
- Linn
- Lippi, Bartolomeo
- Lorenzi, Germano
- Lotti, Francesco
- Lucchini
- Luciani
- Lutaci, Lico[...]
- Maciga, Giuseppe
- Maltoni
- Mancini, Italo
- Marchetti, Ferrante
- Marefoschi, Mario
- Marsuzi, Aloisio
- Marta, Pietro
- Martinelli, Giovanni <1841-1919>
- Masi, Girolamo
- *Mauchereau, E. <bookshop>
- Mazzolani, Giulio
- MD
- Melti, Francesco Maria
- Messore, Francesco
- Mingazzi, Stefano
- Morana, Pietro
- Morelli, Nicola
- Morgera, Enzo
- Moselli, Antonio
- Motti, Domenico
- Nathusius, Ph.
- Nicolini, Giovanni Battista
- Odier, Pierre
- *Apostolic Hospice of S. Michele, Bologna
- P. G. A. B.
- Paccaroni, Eufemio
- Paccaroni, Federico
- Paccaroni, Orazio
- Paccaroni, Saverio
- Paccaroni Vinci, Laudamia
- Paffini
- Palmes, Diego Manuel
- Panarelli, Almerio
- Pannini, Benedetto
- Paprii, Julianus
- Parrelli, Matteo
- Passano, Filippo Benedetto
- P.D.S.C.
- Pellegini, Bartolomeo Francesco
- Pellegrini, Bartolomeo Francesco
- Pestalutz, J. J.
- Petrarca, Alessandro
- Pierini, C.
- Pinei
- Pini, Francesco
- Pippini, Giovanni Domenico, de Hochenbaum
- Pirani, Giuseppe Antonio
- Pisani, [...]ndo Antonio
- Poletti, Francesco
- Pourtalis
- Pruici de Zachinari, V.
- Pulgar, Raphael, del
- Quattrocchi, Pietro
- Rasponi <monsignor>
- Reu[...], Pietro
- Ricci, Pietro Vincenzo
- Riminaldi, Ercole Antonio
- Ripa, Pantaleone
- Rischolf, Ferdinand
- Roemer, F. W.
- Romero, Diego Fernando
- Romoli, Marco Antonio
- Rosenthal, Jacques
- Rota Rossi, Giuseppe
- Rota Rossi, Lorenzo
- Ruggeri, Francesco
- Sacchetti, Gaetano
- Sallinari, Francesco
- Salvi, Salvio
- Scanaroli, Alessandro
- Simonelli
- Soler, Antonius
- Soranzo, Liaio
- Sorio, Antonio
- Spalding
- Sughelli, Giovanni
- Taglioni, A. R.
- Tamburini, Augusto <19th century>
- Thomas
- Tonini, Giovanni Giacomo
- Tonsus, A. Willelmus
- *University of Ferrara
- *University of Ferrara: Botany Institute
- Vandelli, Leopoldo
- Villani, C.
- Vinci, Emilio
- Vinci <family>
- Vinci, Pronioamis?
- Visdomino, Giovanni Giacomo
- Wenzel, I.
- Wippermann, C. F.
- Zalconcini, Giovanni
- Zanoni, O. Giovanni
- Zarboli, Carlo Antonio
- Zarboli, Francesco Antonio
To find out more
Landina Sebastianis, Department of Legal Sciences: ‘ancient collection’ library, in Towards a science museum: botanic gardens, museums and historical-scientific collections at the University of Ferrara, edited by Carmela Loriga, «Annals of the University of Ferrara», special volume, 2001, pp. 71-78.
Anna Bernabè, The historical library collection [at the Law Library], in Stories of books and palaces. Tours of the Unife libraries , edited by Cristina Baldi and Paola Iannucci, Ferrara, UnifePress, 2021, pp. 286-289.
The collection is kept at the Law Library.
The volumes that make up the collection are ineligible for external loans, but it is possible to consult them in the library, upon request, made by telephone (+39 0532 455621), email or through the online catalogue.
Rules for consultation
Regulations for the activities and services of the University of Ferrara Libraries, art. 28
- The consultation of ancient or valuable documents must take place in a dedicated area, controlled by the library.
- Volumes that need restoring are excluded from consultation.
- Users can access only one document for consultation at a time, unless there is a proven need to compare it with other documents.
- Users must diligently comply with the following instructions:
- use the designated bookstands and other equipment in the room made available, in order to protect the documents;
- if the specialised staff consider it necessary, wear the cotton gloves provided;
- if the use of gloves is not considered necessary, handle the documents with clean, dry hands;
- bring only erasable pencils, note paper and a laptop without a case;
- do not make any mark or underline anything, even in pencil, on the documents;
- do not place writing paper or anything else on top of the documents;
- avoid putting pressure on the bindings in order not to damage them;
- do not trace any images (watermarks, drawings, miniatures, bindings);
- if needed, use only flexible tape measures and magnifying glasses;
- in the case of loose or miscellaneous papers, do not alter in any way the order of the documents;
- report any missing items, damages or discrepancies found in the documents consulted to the librarians as soon as possible.
- Users are responsible for the works they are consulting until the moment they are returned. If you are leaving the consultation area, even briefly, the document must be returned.
In parallel with its establishment and gradual development, the collection was also involved in the transfers carried out in the Law Library, finally ending up in its current location at Palazzo Trotti-Mosti towards the end of the 1980s.
Here, the collection remained in a space next to the administrative offices of the department until 2019, when it was transferred to room L4 of the Library, where it is still found today.
Starting in 2018, some pieces from the collection underwent conservative restoration, performed by qualified professional conservators, on the basis of projects authorised by the relevant regional authorities.
The cataloguing of the collection in the SBN (National Library Service) was carried out starting in the early 2000s, thanks to the help of an intern specialising in the cataloguing of ancient books who collaborated with the library. The work also involved the description of the main characteristics of the pieces and the identification of their owners and origins.
The volumes are located in the ANTICO section of the library where they are kept.
With the Art Bonus, you can support projects for ancient book restoration at the University of Ferrara.
Audiovisual
2020 - Library donations. Law Library (length: 2 minutes and 40 seconds)
2020 - The historical collections. Law Library (length: 2 minutes and 50 seconds)
Video in Italian Sign Language (LIS) made thanks to collaboration from the Equal Opportunities and Disability Policy Coordination, the E-Learning and Multimedia Services Office and AIDUS (Association for the Inclusion of Hearing and Deaf People).
2019 - Through ancient papers and parchments: A journey of restoration
Result of the project Video-story of a restoration (2018-2019); the video-documentary illustrates the restoration of the first volume of Commentaria eruditissima by jurist Felino Sandeo (Lyon, 1548), a piece belonging to the university's Legal Sciences Collection.
To find out more
With a main theme of the phases of restoration, we have described the restoration techniques, the profession of ancient book conservation and other professions related to the study of publishing (experts in history of law, bibliologist...) and books as artefacts (paleographers for handwritten parts, microbiologists and entomologists for attacks from mould, bacteria and insects etc.), as well as the institution that oversees their protection, in a scientifically thorough yet accessible way.
2016 - Promoting the treasures of the University of Ferrara - Cataloguing an ancient book
These videos have been made thanks to cooperation between the University of Ferrara Library System and se@unife (University of Ferrara Centre for Technologies for Communication, Innovation and Distance Learning), and the collaboration of the Emilia-Romagna Institute for Artistic, Cultural and Natural Heritage (IBACN) and Franco Antolini's Restauro Libri firm (Ferrara).
Exhibitions
Guided tours
28 October 2018 - Stories of books and palaces. Inauguration of the tour with the opening of the locations. The students from the 4th year of the "A. Roiti" Science-specialist High School in Ferrara, along with representatives from the University Library System and Museum System, guided visitors around the palaces of the university, libraries and historical collections.
Other