Description
This year’s microfibre celebrates the 55th anniversary of the “L’Ottico di Rialto” ensign, 1964-2019. The printed image was taken from a fresco of 1503 at the Albèri library, a magnificent and prestigious building between the Cathedral and the Papal Palaces in Orvieto, built in 1499 to host the precious book collection of Antonio Albèri (1423 ca-1505), powerful bishop of the time.
A monkey wears a pair of glasses and is intent on reading a Latin text “legere e non intelligere est negligere”, which translated “read and not understand is how not to read” whose meaning turns out to be: useless to wear a pair of glasses if you can not read!
It would seem to be a criticism of the priest, which appeared only following the restoration of the library in 2010, as the fresco painter represented the animal by placing the bishop’s cap on it.
Below the text, some musical notes refer to a sonnet published a few years later in Venice (1508) entitled “Bona Dies”.
