The exhibition opens to the public on Thursday, May 23rd the exhibition project Van Eyck and the revealed miniatures, curated by Simonetta Castronovo, curator of Palazzo Madama, and realized in partnership with the Department of Historical Studies of the University of Turin.

The exhibition stems from the desire to enhance and deepen the knowledge of the collection of manuscripts and cut-out miniatures (cuttings) of the Civic Museum of Ancient Art of Turin, consisting of 20 illuminated codices, 10 incunabula, and a rich collection of 80 sheets and cut-out miniatures, dating between the 13th and 16th centuries, rarely exhibited due to their delicate nature. 

The project aims to unveil and illustrate to the public a heritage that few are familiar with, complementing the showcases with graphics that not only frame each volume and fragment in the correct geographical and stylistic context but also provide insights into the manuscript production techniques and materials used, as well as on libraries in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and the circulation of books during this period.

The project started in 2021, in collaboration with the Department of Historical Studies (Prof. Fabrizio Crivello) and the Department of Chemistry of the University of Turin (Prof. Angelo Agostino), and the Department of Sciences and Technological Innovation of the University of Eastern Piedmont (Prof. Maurizio Aceto). The initial phase involved the systematic cataloging of materials and a photographic campaign of all the works under examination, followed by a campaign of scientific analyses (such as measurements with FORS and XRF techniques regarding supports, pigments, gilding). The exhibition thus arises from the desire to present, after the surveys and research on this fragile heritage have been completed, the results of the in-depth studies just concluded.

The exhibition is divided into six chronological sections. Opening the exhibition, within the section dedicated to the 13th and 14th centuries,  are the Statutes of the City of Turin from 1360 (manuscript known as the Code of Chains, now preserved in the Historical Archive of the Municipality), a volume of great political and symbolic importance for Turin, as it contains the first regulations governing city life and the relations of the Municipality with the counts of Savoy; then, two statutes of medieval Guilds, the Roll of Goldsmiths and that of the Cordwainers of Bologna, and finally a Bible from 1280, an authentic masterpiece of Bolognese art from the 13th century.