The Unveiled Library: The Fantastic Bestiary

From April 11 to October 31, 2026, the Museo di San Marco in Florence will host the exhibition The Unveiled Library: The Fantastic Bestiary: the first dossier exhibition at the Museo di San Marco dedicated to the illuminated manuscripts preserved in the first public library in Europe, created by Michelozzo.

The focus of the exhibition will be a selection of manuscripts from the 13th to the 16th centuries, exploring the world of zoomorphic decoration, featuring fantastic, hybrid, and real creatures that carry symbolic meanings. Among these is the dragon, depicted alongside the saint who defeats it, or as a free expression of imagination and decorative pleasure.