Leaf of Cicero (106-43 B.C.), De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum (On the Ends of Good and Evil) II.27-28.
Description:
Script: Copied by a single hand in a rather uneven Humanistica Textualis marked by frequent fusions. and Decoration: None. The modern folio number(?), 36, is written in pencil on the recto.
In Latin., Script: Written in italic script by Piero Cennini (b. 1444)., Fine border and initials by Mariano del Buono. 3/4 white-vine border, f. 2r, infilled green, pink, and blue, against a blue ground, with white dots; putti and birds; at the periphery, flowers, gold dots, and hair-spray, especially profuse in lower margin; supported by a trellis, gold, which expands at regular intervals to form roundels. In upper margin, a blossom with fruits, in lower margin, in separate roundels, a hound chasing a stag, against deep landscape backgrounds. Between roundels with animals, the arms of Joannes Vitez, bishop of Gran, in a complex braided roundel, infilled green and blue with white and yellow filigree, and supported by four putti, two of which play musical instruments. One historiated initial, f. 1r, gold, Cicero reading a book, against a blue ground with stylized clouds, all against a green ground with yellow filigree. Thirty-two 7-, 6-, 5-, and 3-line initials, gold, with white-vine infilled green, pink, and blue, with white dots, against blue ground, with vines extending into margin, gold dots and hair-spray. Twelve 4- and 3-line initials, following f. 178, gold, against pink and blue or pink and green grounds, with white and/or yellow filigree. Following initials, one line of square capitals in brown or alternating red and brown. 1-line square capitals in text., The entire codex, including the binding, is in an excellent state of preservation., and Binding: Fifteenth century. Resewn on seven tawed, slit straps laid in channels and nailed into wooden boards. The spine is square, the edges gilt. Covered in ruby-red goatskin, blind-tooled with concentric panels. The rectangular central panel is reduced to a square with rope interlace and the central ornament is a four-pointed star protruding from a quatrefoil within a circle. Five foliate brass catches on the lower board. Stubs of green fabric clasp straps on the upper board. Rebacked; headbands and a gold-tooled spine added. Two catches and all clasps wanting.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Cicero, Marcus Tullius.
Subject (Topic):
Classical literature, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Philosophy
Manuscript on paper of assorted works by Cicero with additional texts
Description:
In Latin., Watermarks: 1) Human bust, var. Briquet 15599?. 2) Balance, var. Piccard, Waage 1.78?. (3) Crown, unidentified?., Script: Written by two scribes, one writing in Italian Gothica Hybrida or Semihybrida Libraria and the other in a bold Southern Gothica Textualis Libraria/Formata with numerous decorative hairlines., Red paragraph marks. Art. 3 has yellow heightening of the majuscules, a 2-line and a 3-line flourished initial in red, blue and yellow. In art. 1 the majuscules are heightened in red; there are plain red initials in art. 5, but its decoration is not consistent., and Binding: Damaged original binding in deerskin over heavy almost unbevelled wooden boards. Parchment pastedowns, the front one detached from the board. On the front cover inscription in large Southern Gothica Textualis Formata, worn and difficult to decipher. On the spine a 17th-century paper label with the number "2760" and the title "Huma (?)......Marci Tulii de amicitia manu scripta". Marks of two leather straps fixed to the front cover, the pin holes visible in the rear cover.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Cicero, Marcus Tullius.
Subject (Topic):
Didactic literature, Latin and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript fragment on parchment of Cicero's Orationes Philippicae
Description:
In Latin., Script: written in a round humanistic bookhand., and Decoration: 1-line initials are in brown square capitals; punctuated with the punctus, punctus elevatus, and punctus interrogativus; hyphenation is in the same ink as the text.