From 15 September to 25 November 2023 the Borso d'Este Bible returns to the showcase in the Campori room of the Estense University Library. The Estensi Galleries present it in the exhibition “ Sacred Words. Tanakh, Bible, Koran " which will display a few but very important pieces, testifying to the multiple and precious forms in which the word of God has been handed down and spread.

There is an indissoluble bond , in monotheistic religions, between speech and writing , regardless of the different forms of transmission or revelation. With the word God creates the world, in the word he becomes incarnate, through the word he reveals himself to the prophets; for this reason the great monotheisms lived on the diffusion of the word through the material act of writing sacred texts: the Jewish Bible, the one updated by Christianity and the Koran.

Among the material on display, Borso d'Este's Bible stands out, offered to the public on a completely exceptional basis. Set up from 1455 to 1461, it was a testimony to the Duke's cultural policy and almost a status symbol to attest to his power over Ferrara: in fact, it represents the highest product of Ferrara miniatures and at the same time, the absolute masterpiece of Italian Renaissance miniatures.

It is flanked by two beautifully illuminated Jewish Bibles with the furnishings of the Temple and two Arab Korans , also finely decorated in gold.