October 2026: six full days of historical color-making and manuscript illumination, a dual workshop in Florence.
Bridging research and living craft, this workshop offers the most immersive encounter with Renaissance art you are likely to find: prepare your own colors from minerals and plants, lay gold leaf on parchment, and learn the art of illumination as it was practiced by Fra Angelico and his contemporaries.
Born out of a collaboration between its two instructors on the illuminated manuscript displays at the San Marco Museum in Florence, it offers something rare: a direct experience with materials and techniques recovered from period sources and transmitted through decades of hands-on practice.
Workshop Registration
Everything you need is included — materials, tools, and supplies for both sessions.
Workshop Program:
Section 1:
Colors of the Renaissance
- Dates: October 24, 25, 26 2026 (Sat-Mon)
- Total hours: 24+ hours, 3 full days
- Daily Schedule:
- 9:00am – 1pm – Studio Session
- 1pm – 2pm – Lunch break
- 2pm – 6:00pm – Studio Session
- Day 1: Introduction, materials overview organic colors
- Day 2: Mineral pigments and organic lakes
- Day 3: Preparing the paints
- Location: Piazza San Marco area, historic center of Florence
Exact venue depends on group size but will remain in the same area - Language: English
- For all skill levels: no prior experience required
Museum Visit: San Marco Museum that houses the most important collection of Fra Angelico’s work and the ongoing exhibition “The Library Unveiled: The Fantastic Bestiary”
Section 2:
The Art of Illumination
- Dates: October 29, 30, 31 2026 (Thu-Sat)
- Total hours: 24+ hours, 3 full days
- Daily Schedule:
- 9:00am – 1pm – Studio Session
- 1pm – 2pm – Lunch break
- 2pm – 6:00pm – Studio Session
- Day 1: Gilding on parchment and paper
- Day 2: Illuminated initials in Laubwerk style
- Day 3: Illuminated initials in Bianchi Girari style
- Location: Piazza San Marco area, historic center of Florence
Exact venue depends on group size but will remain in the same area - Language: English
- For all skill levels: no prior experience required
Museum Visit: Laurentian Library, including the Reading Room and the Vestibule (the entrance-hall) designed by Michelangelo Buonarroti.
All Materials are Provided:
Raw minerals, organic pigments, gold leaf, parchment, brushes, and all necessary equipment are included in the tuition. Participants in both sections will illuminate with the colors they prepared in Section 1; those joining Section 2 only will work with high-quality acrylic gouache and watercolor alternatives.
Program Choice:
It is possible to participate only in one section of the workshop, although it is highly recommended to take part in the full program. Contents of the workshops are strongly related and in section 2 we are going to make use of materials produced in section 1.
Optional Field Trip to Siena: the Cathedral And the Piccolomini Library
On October 28th, during the break between the two workshop sessions, we will organize an optional day trip to Siena, one of the great medieval cities of Tuscany and a destination of particular relevance to our program.
We visit during the annual uncovering of the Duomo floor, one of the most extraordinary events in the Italian art calendar. Described by Vasari as “the most beautiful, largest and most magnificent floor ever made,” the Cathedral’s marble mosaic inlay floor, 56 panels by some forty artists, created over five centuries, remains hidden under protective boards for most of the year. Our workshop falls in the final days of the 2026 uncovering period, making this a genuinely rare opportunity.
Our primary destination within the Cathedral complex is the Piccolomini Library, a small space of staggering richness: ten large fresco panels by Pinturicchio with preparatory drawings contributed by the young Raphael, who can be identified among the figures in one of the scenes, survive here in near-perfect condition, among the best-preserved Renaissance fresco cycles in Italy. The library also houses a rotating display of illuminated manuscripts directly connected to the themes of our workshop.
The Cathedral itself contains works by Nicola and Giovanni Pisano, Donatello, Michelangelo, Duccio di Buoninsegna, and Bernini. The afternoon is free for independent exploration of the city — the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, Santa Maria della Scala, the Palazzo Pubblico with Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s Allegory of Good and Bad Government, and the Pinacoteca Nazionale are all within walking distance.
Instructors
In this workshop, I want to step back and give the floor to a craftsman whose knowledge you would otherwise have very little chance of encountering. Ivano Ziggiotti carries a living tradition of historical scripts, materials, and illumination built over decades through direct transmission from master to student, the kind of expertise that doesn’t make it into books and doesn’t travel well beyond its local context. I’ll be there throughout to enrich the course with historical background, primary source references, and translation from Italian to English.
Ivano Ziggiotti
Master Calligrapher and Manuscript Illuminator
Ivano Ziggiotti is a calligrapher and manuscript artist based in the Veneto, trained across two decades in the major historical scripts through the Associazione Calligrafica Italiana and master instructors including Gottfried Pott, Klaus-Peter Schäffel, and Denis Brown. His practice centers on the philological reconstruction of medieval materials and techniques — pigments, inks, and supports researched directly from historical recipes — which he applies to the production of hand-written books. Between 2000 and 2018 he completed nine illuminated manuscripts, exhibited nationally and internationally in Switzerland, London, and Florence. He teaches at the Associazione Calligrafica Italiana and has contributed materials reconstructions, calligraphy, and illuminated initial demonstrations to the illuminated manuscript display at the Museo di San Marco in Florence, curated by Gleb Shtyrmer.
Gleb Shtyrmer
Artist and Educator, Founder of Ars Pictoria
Gleb Shtyrmer is an artist and researcher based in Florence, specializing in the reconstruction of Renaissance drawing and painting techniques and materials. He recently developed two permanent displays on the materials and tools of illuminated manuscript production for the Museo di San Marco, created the Renaissance drawing materials display at the Leonardo3 Museum in Milan, and worked on Ken Burns’ documentary on Leonardo da Vinci as a technical consultant, reconstructing materials and demonstrating period techniques on screen. He teaches technical art history at the graduate level. His workshops draw on direct engagement with period sources and methods, bringing them back into living practice.
Tuition
Fees & Payment
Workshop Fee:
Includes all materials, museum entry tickets, and guided visits.
First-Edition Early Commitment Rate: available until September 20th. This first edition of the program is offered at a reduced rate for those who commit early, allowing us to prepare in advance; standard pricing applies after this date.
- Section 1: €1,150
€1,450(until September 20th) - Section 2: €1,150
€1,450(until September 20th) - Full Program: €1,850
€2,500(until September 20th)
Optional Field Trip to Siena (October 28th): pricing to be announced.
Payment method:
Upon registration you will receive payment information by email.
- Deposit: € 575 for a single section and € 925 for full program (non-refundable)
Required to secure your place. Payment instructions will be sent after submitting the registration form. - Balance: Remaining amount due upon arrival in Florence, before classes start.
- Enrollment Deadline: October 15th, 2026, or until all places are filled.
Cancellation Policy:
If the workshop must be canceled by the instructor due to unforeseen circumstances, the full deposit amount will be refunded.
Accommodation:
Accommodation is not included in the workshop fee.
We recommend booking a hotel, BnB, or apartment in the historical center of Florence, ideally near the Piazza San Marco area.
To make the most of your stay, plan to arrive at least one day before the workshop and depart the day after it ends.