La Comedìa (The Divine Comedy)

One of the first printed editions of Dante’s "Divine Comedy", published in Florence in 1481 by Niccolò di Lorenzo, a printer from Breslau. The text of the "Divine Comedy", printed in well-read roman type, is accompanied by an extensive commentary by Cristoforo Landino printed in smaller type. This kind of text layout, called modus modernus, was characteristic of editions of works by humanists and classical authors.
The 1481 edition of Dante was furnished with copperplate illustrations by Baccio Baldini based on drawings by Sandro Botticelli. They depict, among others, a lavishly vivid image of Dante's inferno, included in the book as a separate leaf with the illustration, and events from Canto I: Dante’s entry into the forest, the leopard, the lion and the she-wolf, as well as his meeting with Virgil.
The Ossolineum copy was decorated in the 15th century with hand-painted gilt initials with rich florals.