Manuscript on parchment (trimmed) of 1) Tacitus, Annales XI-XVI. 2) Tacitus, Historiae I-V. Possibly written for Alfonso II, Duke of Calabria, King of Naples
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written by two scribes; Scribe 1) ff. 1r-126r in a neat, slightly rounded gothic bookhand; Scribe 2) ff. 126v-218v, in a neat humanistic bookhand., Full border, f. 1r, attributed to Nicola Rapicano: white vine, infilled blue, red, and green, with white dots; framed and divided into panels by thin gold bands, the inner frame with a second band in two shades of purple, with white highlights. Outer and lower margins divided by band of fruit, in the outer margin, black with gold highlights, in the lower margin, red with green and gold highlights; divided into sections and at corners by English frets, infilled blue or green with white dots. In center of outer margin, a medallion after a classical coin or cameo, bust of a man in profile with a laurel wreath against a blue ground with fine white filigree; in center of lower margin, coat of arms of Alfonso II, Duke of Calabria, King of Naples (quarterly, first and fourth paly of 4 or and gules [Aragon], second and third argent, a cross potent sable [Calabria]), in a gold and purple quatrilobe frame, a gold diadem above, against a blue ground, as above, supported by four putti. Putti, birds (including a large peacock, center of inner margin), insects, and a bowl of fruit, symmetrically arranged in corners and around swags, often overlapping or passing behind decorative elements. Both inner and outer frame broken by text and marginalia, suggesting that the border is a later addition. Two lines of gold capitals open the text on f. 1r. On f. 136v, a 5-line white vine initial, gold, infilled red, green, and blue, against a blue ground, of inferior execution compared to f. 1r. Two 3-line initials, ff. 25v and 40v, gold or blue with purple or red penwork; each with guide-letters for illuminator., and Binding: Between 1890 and 1900, or 20th century. Dark brown goatskin, blind-tooled with rope work interspersed with copper colored dots in Italian style (15th century) by Leon Gruel (active under his own name between 1891 and 1923).
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut, New Haven., and Rome
Subject (Name):
Alfonso II, King of Naples, 1448-1495. and Tacitus, Cornelius.
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Latin prose literature, Manuscripts, Medieval, and History
Manuscript on paper (coarse, brown) of annals of Genoa
Description:
In Latin., Watermarks: unidentified bull's head buried in gutter., Script: Written by two scribes. Scribe 1) ff. 1r-45v, 158r-163v, 168r-172v, compact fere-humanistic script with exagerrated flourishes at conclusion of most lines. Scribe 2) ff. 46r-157v, 164r-167v, well spaced informal humanistic script. Marginal annotations and arts. 15-16 added, 15th-16th centuries, by several hands., Stained throughout., and Binding: Nineteenth century. Rigid vellum, gold-tooled. Stamped, in gold, on spine: "Caffari Chronica MS.".
Manuscript on paper (deckle edges) of 1) Chronicle of Pisa (from the founding of the city to 1342). 2) Chronicle of Pisa, covering the years from creation to 1400, with the Chronicle of Ranieri Sardo beginning at 1355; the final paragraph, dealing with 1422, was added by a later continuator after Sardo's death
Description:
In Italian., Watermarks: unidentified sun within circle, in gutter., and Binding: Nineteenth century. Vellum spine and fore-edge strip, with gold tooling on spine and dark red label: "Cronica Pisano./ 1342/ Annali di Pisa./ 1422/ MS." Marbled paper sides.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut, New Haven., and Pisa (Italy)
Subject (Topic):
Italian literature, Manuscripts, Medieval, and History
Manuscript fragment on parchment of Quintus Curtius Rufus' Historiae Alexandri Magni
Description:
In Latin., Script: written in rounded gothic bookhand (gothico-humanistica)., and Decoration: 1-line initials are brown capitals; there are brief notes on the text written in the margin in a cursive humanistic script of the fifteenth century; punctuated with the punctus.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut, New Haven., and Greece
Subject (Name):
Alexander, the Great, 356 B.C.-323 B.C. and Curtius Rufus, Quintus.
Subject (Topic):
Manuscripts, Medieval, History, and Historiography
Manuscript on parchment of Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Gallico; Commentarii de Bello Civili; De Bello Alexandrino; De Bello Africo; and De Bello Hispaniensis
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written by a single scribe in a small elegant humanistic bookhand., Fine initials, gold capitals, 9- to 5- line, edged in yellow, filled with white-vine ornament, on blue, green, and red ground, decorated with yellow dots. Headings in red., and Binding: Fifteenth century. Wound sewing on four slit straps. Colored beaded endbands sewn onto cores of tawed skin laced and nailed into wooden boards. All edges gilt. The sewing straps are laced through tunnels in the edges of the boards and nailed in channels on the outside, protruding well above the face. Covered in dark brown goatskin, blind-tooled with an eight-pointed star and corners filled in with rope-tool interlace interspersed with copper-colored dots, in a border of rectangular tools. Four catches on the lower board and stubs of red cloth (velvet?) straps lined with parchment held to the upper with star headed nails
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut, New Haven., and Rome
Subject (Name):
Caesar, Julius.
Subject (Topic):
Latin prose literature, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and History
Manuscript on parchment (thin, good quality) of 1) Tacitus, Annales XI-XVI. 2) Tacitus, Historiae I-V. Written for King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary (1458-90), perhaps by Italians at his palace of Buda
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written by a single scribe in a well formed humanistic script., Twelve initials, 7- to 2-line, at beginning of each book (2 at the beginning of the Annales), gold edged in black, with white vine ornament, against a panelled ground of blue, green and mauve, with white dots, outlined with one or two thin white and one black line; ivy, drawn or pen, with triangular gold leaves or dots, projecting from corners into margins. On f. 1r, the initial includes a putto in the vinework; in the lower margin, coat of arms of Corvinus, type A (quarterly, first and fourth barry of 8 gules and argent [Hungary]; second and third gules, a lion rampant and queue-fourche argent [Bohemia]; an inescutcheon azur with raven sable holding an annulet or, with bordure or [Hunyadi family]. Workmanship of fair quality; style Northern Italian (?)., and Binding: Fifteenth century. Sewn on three tawed, slit straps laid in channels in beech boards. The straps are pegged and the channels filled in with plaster as are the endband grooves and the edge channels cut out for the clasps. The primary endband is plain, wound, and sewn on a tawed core and the secondary is beaded and colored. The core is laid in a groove and pegged. The square spine is given a slightly round shape by the bevelling of the boards and is lined with a tawed skin. Covered in dark, brick-red goatskin with a cusped shield azur, charged with a crow sable (Hunyadi family), in the center of each board; blind-tooled rope work, punch dots and other ornamentation gilt, gold-tooled or painted. "Cornelius Tacitus" is tooled along the head of the lower cover and is also written down the fore-edge with black ink. There are four fastenings, the brass catches on the lower board, with three of them covered over with added leather. The clasps are the same color as the cover and are reinforced with parchment. They are pegged in channels at the edges of the board, underneath the cover. The clasps and a little leather of the spine and the upper board are wanting.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut, New Haven., and Rome
Subject (Name):
Matthias I, King of Hungary, 1443-1490. and Tacitus, Cornelius.
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Latin prose literature, Manuscripts, Medieval, and History
Manuscript on three scrolls of parchment, two of which have been crudely stitched together, while the third is separate. They concern inhabitants of the castle and town of Lustignano in the valley of the river Cornia in Northwestern Italy. 1) Land transaction between Niccholaus, duke of Volterra, and Iohannes, Count of Lustignano, on behalf of a certain Michael; signed by the notary Guarnerius; dated 1350 (detached). 2) Unidentified land transaction involving Iohannes filius [one word unclear] de Lustignano; name of notary scratched out; dated 1304. 3) Bill of contumacy involving Raymerus Balduccus and the brothers "Iohannes and Michelis"; signed by the notary Barthalus Sanuccius (?) of Volterra; dated 1346
Description:
In Latin., Script: All were written in cramped and abbreviated chancery hands. Filing notes, in Italian (17th century), on dorse of each scroll., and Second roll is mutilated and worn, with text illegible at head and tail.
Manuscript on parchment of Plutarch, Vitae, translated into Latin by Leonardo Bruni
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written in an upright italic by a single scribe., Small, 4-line, white vine initials, one to commence each work, gold, infilled with pink and green with white dots, all on a blue ground; gold dots and hairsprays., and Binding: Eighteenth century. Green goatskin with red labels on spine. Delicately gold-tooled.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut, New Haven., and Rome
Subject (Name):
Plutarch.
Subject (Topic):
Biography, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and History