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 paper of poems by Tibullus and Catullus. With Life of Tibullus and epitaph
Description:
In Latin., Watermarks similar to Briquet Fleur 6690, Harlfinger Fleur 108 (lower example), Harlfinger Fer a cheval 5 (but with cross), Briquet Tour 15865, Harlfinger Monts 78; unidentified watermarks: mountain, ladder, full-bodied unicorn, letter R., Script: Written by two scribes in humanistic script. Scribe 1) ff. 1r-20v; Scribe 2) ff. 21r-88r. Marginal notations in several contemporary hands., Two inelegant black initials (ff. 1r, 41r) with vine-work ornament on red and blue ground. Simple red initials, some with penwork designs, mark the beginning of each poem. Headings and initial strokes, in red, throughout., Many leaves stained and/or repaired., and Binding: Nineteenth century. Brown calf spine and small corners with marbled paper sides.
Manuscript on parchment of St. Bernardine of Siena, Tractatus de restitutionibus. The sermons are part of the De christiana religione of St. Bernardine, O.F.M., often copied as a separate work
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written by a single scribe in fere-humanistic script., Initials, headings and paragraph marks in red., and Binding: ca. 1900. Vellum case.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Bernardino, da Siena, Saint, 1380-1444. and Franciscans.
Subject (Topic):
Catechetical sermons, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Theology, Doctrinal
Manuscript on goatskin parchment of 1) St Basil of Ancyra, De vera integritate virginitatis. Translated into Latin by Ambrogio Traversari between 1423-1424; 2) St John Chrysostom, Adversus oppugnatores vitae monasticae. Translated into Latin by Ambrogio Traversari in 1420
Description:
In Latin., Script: Copied by one scribe, writing in Humanistica Semitextualis with a few Gothic features., Pale red rubrics. Text undecorated, with the following exceptions: plain 2-4-line initials (Capitalis) in red or blue on pp. 1, 152, 155, 188; 5-line white vinestem initial integrated in a three-margins-left border in the same style on p. 3; the initial and border have been attributed by Albinia C. de la Mare to Giovanni d'Antonio Varnucci (1416-1457)., and Binding: 19th-20th centuries; brown morocco over cardboard. Both covers are blind-tooled with frames of fillets and four different flower tools. Five raised bands are on the spine.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Traversari, Ambrogio, 1386-1439.
Subject (Topic):
Fathers of the church, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Monastic and religious life
Manuscript on parchment of 1) Moamin, Treatise on Falconry, parts 1-3. 2) Treatise of Dancus rex. 3) Treatise of Guillelmus falconarius. Artt. 4-5: Anonymous treatises on horses. 6) Moamin, part 4, on dogs
Alternative Title:
Moamin
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written in a small round gothic bookhand by two scribes. Scribe 1) ff. 1r-37v, 67v-75v; Scribe 2) ff. 39r-67r., One 6-line initial, red and blue, filled with red and blue penwork in a floral pattern. 4-, 2-, and 1-line pen initials, red, with long trailing serifs and blue calligraphic flourishes. 2- and 1-line initials outside text column. On f. 1r, arms of the duchy of Austria (crudely executed; later addition?):, or, two eagles palewise displayed and crowned sable (Hungary): impaled with barry of 6 gules and argent; supported by griffins passant gules; the whole set between thick pink bands. Line-fillers red undulating lines. Rubrics throughout., and Binding: Sixteenth century. Sewn on three supports, the two outer ones leather, the central one tawed skin, laid and nailed in channels in wooden boards. Plain wound primary endbands sewn on a tawed core at the head and a leather one at the tail, laid in grooves and nailed, with a secondary embroidery added. The square spine is lined with vellum between supports. Covered in dark red goatskin, blind-tooled, with four brass catches on the lower board. Leather cracking along joints, clasps wanting.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Topic):
Animal culture, Dogs, Falconry, Horses, Latin literature, Medieval and modern, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on paper of Treatises on Rhetoric and Epistulae including texts by Francesco Filelfo, Apollonius Dyscolus (?), and Trypho
Description:
In Greek and Latin., Watermarks: similar to Briquet Ciseaux 3668, Briquet Monts 11882, and unidentified grapes., Script: Written by one scribe in small, very even Greek minuscule. Letters with name of Filelfo on flyleaves at front and back are written in well-formed italic., Headpiece, 1-line initials and headings in faded reddish-brown., Water stains in the upper right corner of many folios; some loss of text., and Binding: Twentieth century. Block printed paste paper case.