Between painting, archaeology and museography: The Antiquarium of Michele Fabrizio Ferrarini

This article deals with the work of humanist and epigrapher Fabrizio Ferrar ini born in Reggio Emilia and active during the last decades of the fifteen th century. A Carmelite friar his assignements to differents cities, from B rescia to Bologna and finally back to his native town, he was involved with the raising excitement for antiquity that was manifesting at the time with remarquable episodes such as the first known public gathering and display of roman marbles which took place in Brescia in 1480, or the collection of antiquities drawn by Feliciano for Andrea Mantegna. For Brescia Ferrrarini composed a collection of epigraphs that were scattered all over its territo ry. In Brescia he also published, in 1486, his edition of the Latin work by Valerio Probo, De Litteris Antiquis, a compendium of the latin grammar and alphabet, magnifying the beauty of roman capital letters. But what is almo st unknown about the work of Ferrarini is the relevant set of drawings afte r the antique which decorates the collection of epigraphs - known as Antiqu arium and existing in three differents copies - he gathered from all over I taly and some mediterranean countries. Among these drawings, made by his pa inter friends - amici pictores - one can identify a particular group made b y a left-handed artist which seem to be the source of the earliest works on paper by Amico Aspertini. Furthermore the Antiquarium collected by the Car melite friar conveyed an unprecedent attention for the preservation of anti quities leaded then by the author of the Orlando Innamorate Matteo Maria Bo iardo.