Resumen de Tracce della biblioteca sforzesca di Pesaro: considerazioni su una grande raccolta libraria del Rinascimento
According to the great Florentine book manager Vespasiano da Bisticci, the most important library assembled by a �Condottiero� during the 15th century after that of Federico da Montefeltro was due to Alessandro Sforza. Brother of Francesco, lord of Milan, from 1445 to his death Alessandro ruled Pesaro, where he kept a court often underestimated by scholars. On the contrary, beside his travelling all around Italy in order to fight in wars, he managed to compete in cultural enterprises with others lords between Romagna and Marche. From the beginning of the 15th century humanism gained a crucial role for those who wanted to tame a land. It was by then necessary to show how cultural patronage was as highly supported as wars were carried to victory. In this respect, Alessandro and his son Costanzo demonstrated that their conduction of the state was firm, wise and proudly kept with the help of books, that preserved the heritage of antiquity�s knowledge. Unfortunately, the famous library burned in 1514 and it is possible to figure its contents out only thanks to an inventory quickly compiled in 1500, when Giovanni Sforza and his court were escaping Pesaro, threatened by Cesare Borgia�s armies. Until now, only two unlucky attempts have tried to make a detailed inquire on the topic. The present work, benefitting from the unpublished papers of José Ruysschaert, outline the composition of the library with information that can be obtained by the inventory, making a list of the manuscripts that had survived the fire.
