Popes, Cardinals, Humanists: Notes on the Vatican Library as a Repository of Humanist Manuscripts

The Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana possesses the largest collection of humanist manuscripts in the world. It did not, however, follow a conscious policy of acquisition in gathering them together. Rather, most of these manuscripts were acquired as parts of other collections incorporated into the Vatican Library after the fifteenth century. This article surveys the history of the Vatican Library's collection of humanist manuscripts, focusing on Giovanni Tortelli and providing a list of manuscripts whose ownership can be attributed to Cardinal Marco Barbo.