Manuscript on parchment (hairside yellow and speckled) of Cicero, Epistolae ad familiares. With Extract from Aulus Gellius, Noctes Atticae III.8.8: Epistula Fabricii et Aemilii consulum ad Pyrrhum regem. The text was copied ca. 1400 and the border decoration added between ca. 1415 and 1431.
Description:
14 elegant illuminated initials and partial borders at the beginning of each of the 16 books (the opening pages of Books XII and XV have been excised). Initials, 5- to 3-line, blue with white filigree or red with gold filigree on cusped grounds of gold. Most of the illuminated initials filled with bust-length portraits, presumably of Cicero's correspondents, on red, blue or diapered ground. Some initials filled with vine scrolls with trilobe leaves in red with white highlights against gold ground. Partial borders, scrolling vine with trilobe leaves or acanthus in blue, pink, red and gold with white highlights and green, red and blue with gold highlights. Small figures of angels, dressed in green with gold wings in borders or margins, some playing musical instruments, one holding an open book, one holding the cloth of Veronica. Other marginal figures include the "Agnus Dei" and a pelican piercing its breast. The figures are all characterized by white faces, small angled black eyes, and a preference for green and gold, the green with contour lines in gold. Plain initials alternate red and blue. Rubrics throughout., Binding: Nineteenth century, France (?). Red velvet case with a dark green gold-tooled label: "M. T. Ciceronis Epistolae Ad Familiares MS. in Membranis". Gilt edges., Imperfect: incomplete, some leaves wanting with loss of text., and Script: Written in a neat fere-humanistic hand by a single scribe, below top line.
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, and Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library
Aurispa, Giovanni, ca. 1376-1459 Bruni, Leonardo, 1369-1444 Griffolini, Francesco, 1418-1483 Phalaris, Tyrant of Agrigentum, 6th cent. B.C Plutarch Tibullus
Published / Created:
[between 1450 and 1475]
Call Number:
Marston MS 100
Image Count:
224
Resource Type:
Archives or Manuscripts
Abstract:
Manuscript on paper of 1) Phalaris, Epistolae, translated into Latin by Francesco Griffolini of Arezzo and dedicated to Malatesta Novella of Cesena. 2) Unidentified couplet. 3) Ps.-Brutus, Epistolae, translated by Rinuccio Aretino and dedicated to Pope Nicholas V. 4) Ps.-Plutarch, Epistola ad Traianum. 5) Ps.-Philip of Macedon, Epistola ad Aristotelem. 6) Plutarch, Pyrrhus (extract), Lat. tr. of Leonardo Bruni. 7) Ps.-Caesar, Epistola ad Ciceronem. Arts. 8-11 are excerpts from an 11th- or early 12th-century supplement to Curtius Rufus, Historia Alexandri Magni. 12) Ps.-Phalaris, Epistula ad Demotelem, Lat. tr. Giovanni Aurispa. 13) Tibullus (attributed), Priapea I.
Description:
Binding: Date? Italy (?). Sewn through pieces of vellum. Limp vellum case with title in ink on spine: "Phalaridis Epistole". Badly worm eaten., Purchased from C. A. Stonehill in 1955 by Thomas E. Marston., Script: Arts. 1 and 3-12 written in humanistic cursive by a single scribe, above top line; arts. 2 and 13 added in a more flamboyant style of humanistic cursive., Two illuminated initials, 4-line, gold against blue, green and dark red grounds with white vine-stem ornament and white dots. From the corners issue penwork inkspray with leaves, green with yellow or gold highlights, and blue or red blossoms, extending into margins to form partial border. Plain initials alternate in blue and red. Headings in pale red., and Watermarks: similar in design to Briquet Fleur 6597, 6601.
Subject (Name):
Phalaris,--Tyrant of Agrigentum,--6th cent. B.C
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Latin letters, Literature, Medieval--Translations, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, and Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library
Ambrose, Saint, Bishop of Milan, d. 397 Jerome, Saint, d. 419 or 20
Published / Created:
1439-1440.
Call Number:
Beinecke MS 766
Image Count:
620
Resource Type:
Archives or Manuscripts
Abstract:
Manuscript on parchment of St. Jermone, Epistulae et tractatus. With Ambrosius Mediolanensis (St. Ambrose, 339-397), De excessu fratris.
Description:
Binding: Sixteenth century. Brown leather over cardboard boards, the covers blind-tooled with a triple fillet lozenge inside a floral roll frame, the center and the corners gold-tooled with two different floral tools. Spine with four raised bands and remnants of gold-tooled lilies in the compartments. Edges painted blue. Marks of two pairs of ties., Headings in red. Red heightening (stroking) of the majuscules. 2-3-line flourished initials (with guide letters) in red with penwork varying from pale red to purple. A large (10 lines) decorated flourished initial in red, with developed purple penwork (“R” instead of “D”) in littera duplex style on f. 229v. Two Gothic historiated initials on gold background with floral marginal extensions: f. 1r: St. Jerome with lion and boy holding open a book (damaged); f. 25v: a monk copying., Script: Apparently four scribes: A, Iohannes de Carnago, is the main scribe and copied ff. 1r-260v (with the exception of 8 lines at the bottom) in Gothico-Humanistica Semitextualis Libraria; B copied from the bottom lines of f. 260v to f. 270v, in Humanistica Textualis Libraria; C copied ff. 271r-275v in Gothico-Humanistica Textualis Libraria; and D copied ff. 276r-304v in Gothico-Humanistica Semitextualis Libraria., and The codex belonged to the Diocesan Library of Dunedin, New Zealand. Sotheby sale, London, 27 March 1950 (catalogue, no. 35).
Subject (Name):
Jerome,--Saint,--d. 419 or 20
Subject (Topic):
Christian literature, Latin, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Latin letters, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, and Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library
Manuscript on parchment of Vegetius, Epitome rei militaris.
Description:
Binding: Eighteenth century, England or France. Bound in olive green goatskin gold-tooled with a "broken cable" border and decorated edges. Probably bound by Richard Wier (active in London and Toulouse to ca. 1792). Decorated edges. Title on spine: "Vegetius De Viris Il"., Purchased from C. A. Stonehill in 1953 by Thomas E. Marston., Script: Written in small gothic bookhand by a single scribe., and Three illuminated initials, 3-line, at the beginning of the Prologue (f. 1v), Bk. 3 (f. 29v), Bk. 4 (f. 58r), blue or mauve with white filigree against gold ground thinly edged in black. Initials filled with stylized leaves, blue and mauve with white filigree. Black inkspray with spiky gold leaves and small blossoms in pink or blue extend into the margins to form partial borders. Numerous small initials, 2-line, gold, on mauve and blue ground with white filigree. Running headlines in red and blue; headings in red. Paragraph marks alternate red and blue. Initials stroked with pale yellow.
Subject (Name):
Vegetius Renatus, Flavius
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Latin literature, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library, and Military art and science--Early works to 1800
Manuscript on paper of Poggio Bracciolini, Facetiae.
Description:
Binding: Sixteenth century, Italy. Backs of quires cut in V's. Brown goatskin case faintly blind-tooled with concentric frames and spiralling dragon motifs that incorporate flowers and long beaked birds. Rebacked., One illuminated initial on f. 1r, 6-line, gold against deep red, green, and blue cusped ground with white filigree and white dots. From left corners penwork sprays issuing forth into inner margin, with blue and red blossoms and green leaves. Plain initials, placed between vertical rulings, alternate blue and red, some omitted., Script: Written in a round humanistic bookhand by a single scribe, below top line., and Watermarks: similar to Briquet Lettre S 9050; watermark on back pastedown similar to Briquet Fleur 6596-97, 99 and 6602.
Subject (Topic):
Fabliaux, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Latin poetry, Medieval and modern, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, and Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library
Manuscript on paper and parchment, composed in seven parts, of a collection of papal documents relating to the Franciscan Order, the Poor Clares, and the Tertiaries of St. Francis. With Rule for Poor Clares; and Rule of the Tertiaries of St. Francis. Includes texts by Popes Urban IV and John XXII; incunabulum; and additional texts.
Description:
Binding: Sixteenth century, Netherlands. Bound in tan goatskin over paste boards. Very faint blind tooling and four fastenings, two of them ribbon. Catches on the lower board. Front pastedown (and possibly back pastedown?): portion of a document dated 1491. Spine: tying up marks are head, tail, and around the supports., Modern pencil foliation employed. ff. 166 omitted from foliation., Part I: Two illuminated initials, 9- to 5-line, formed of stylized foliage, pink and green with white highlights on gold gound, filled with blue ground with white filigree. Terminals extending into the margins to form partial floral borders, stylized foliage, blue, green and pink, with gold balls with hair-line extensions. Pen-and-ink initials, alternating in blue and red with red and light green penwork. Plain initials in red or blue. Part II: Red and blue divided initial, 4-line, f. 105r, smaller initials in red or blue. Underlining and paragraph marks in red. Letters and words stroked with yellow. Part III: Crude red initial with simple penwork designs, 8- to 2-line. Paragraph marks and underlining in red. Part V: Red initial, 11-line, with simple designs, f. 212r; 2-line initials, headings, underlining, marginal notes, paragraph marks in red. Majuscules touched with yellow and stroked with red. Part VII: Paragraph marks and underlining in red., and Script: Part I (ff. 2-104): Written by several scribes in small gothic text hands. Part II (ff. 105-132): Written in small upright gothic script; words being defined written in larger more formal style of script. Part III (ff. 133-175): Written in a style of script similar to that in Part II. Part IV (ff. 176-211: Incunabulum. Part V (ff. 212-247): Written in a small round gothic text hand with humanistic features. Part VI (ff. 248-253): Written in cramped and hastily written gothic script. Part VII (ff. 254-265): Written in small gothic text hand.
Subject (Name):
Franciscans, John--XXII,--Pope,--d. 1334, Poor Clares, and Urban--IV,--Pope,--ca. 1200-1264
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library, Monasticism and religious orders, Papal documents, and Third orders
Manuscript on parchment roll, composed of 15 membranes, of a Chronicle of biblical world history and the genealogy of the kings of England.
Description:
Binding: Unbound., One large illuminated initial for the prologue, 8-line, mauve and blue with white filigree against gold ground thinly edged in black. The initial is filled with a large flower, red, yellow and green, and curling acanthus, orange and green extending into the margin and continued as black inkspray with large leaves, heart-shaped or acanthus, blue, pink, orange, white and green with white filigree, a large orange and gold flower, smaller leaves in gold with blue and pink, gold dots and small green leaves, extending into the upper and left margin to form a partial border. Smaller illuminated initial for the beginning of the main chronicle, 5-line, gold on blue and mauve ground with white filigree. Numerous small initials, 2-line, alternate in gold with blue penwork and blue with red. Paragraph marks alternate in red and blue., Purchased from C. A. Stonehill in 1959 by Thomas E. Marston., Script: Written by a single scribe in a somewhat rough textura., and The genealogical diagrams, which are fitted into the empty spaces between the columns of text, begin with a roundel formed of concentric bands of blue, gold and red with a miniature of Adam with Eve, who is being handed an apple by the serpent. From the roundel of Adam and Eve to the Ascension of Christ the successive Biblical names, framed in orange or green squares, are linked by a continuous band in blue, red and gold. The names of the ancestors of the Kings of England, starting with Brutus, appear in red or blue circles, surmounted by gold crowns. Other names are in plain red circles. Linking lines in the genealogies are in red or green. At the appropriate places in the text are inserted schematized diagrams in red and green ink of Noah's Ark, a plan of the Israelite camp in the desert and a plan of the city of Jerusalem.
Subject (Geographic):
Great Britain--History--1066-1687
Subject (Topic):
Bible--History of Biblical events, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Kings and rulers--Genealogy, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library, and World history--Early works to 1800
Manuscript on parchment of 1) Anonymous grammatical treatise in prose (Grammatica Latina secundum Donatum). 2) Disticha Catonis.
Description:
1-line red versals and 2-line red plain initials. Two large initials: f. 1r, at the beginning of the text of art. 1, historiated 10- line initial in pink on a blue background, containing a half-length profile of a poet or teacher in outline with a yellow dress; f. 10r, at the beginning of art. 2, decorated 9-line initial in pinkon a blue background, filled with red, yellow and green leaves., Binding: Original half brown leather binding over heavy bevelled wooden boards; sewn on two split leather thongs; the spine damaged. Remnants of one strap attached to the front cover, with iron pin on the rear cover., Due to intensive use the pages are badly rubbed and the legibility is impaired; whole passages have been rewritten by a later hand. The corners of the leaves are worn off. Holes and sewings., and Script: Copied by one hand in large Southern Gothica Textualis Formata (Rotunda). The opening majuscule of each verse set off in a separate column.
Subject (Topic):
Didactic poetry, Latin, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Latin language--Grammar, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, and Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library
Aurispa, Giovanni, ca. 1376-1459 Barbaro, Francesco, 1390-1454 Buonaccorso, da Montemagno, ca. 1391-1429 Guarino, Veronese, 1374-1460 Lucian, of Samosata
Published / Created:
1465
Call Number:
Marston MS 63
Image Count:
144
Resource Type:
Archives or Manuscripts
Abstract:
Manuscript on paper, composed of two closely related parts. Part I: Guarino da Verona, Ipotesia ad Hieronymum (filium) suum, written in 1443. Part II: 3) Francesco Barbaro, De re uxoria, with the prefatory letter to Lorenzo di Giovanni de' Medici (1395-1440). 4) Anonymous text, 12 lines, listing the moral qualities of a good wife. 5) Ps.-Bernard of Clairvaux, Epistola de gubernatione rei familiaris. 6) Lucian, Contentio de presidentia P. Scipionis, Lat. tr. Giovanni Aurispa. 7) Buonaccorso da Montemagno, Controversia de nobilitate. 8) Unidentified oration delivered before the faculty at the university of Siena in 1465. 9) Francesco Pontano, unidentified oration delivered before the faculty at the university of Siena. 10) Bartholomaeus Senensis, unidentified oration delivered before the faculty at the university of Siena. Part II was written by the jurist and diplomat Rainerius de Maschis of Rimini.
Description:
Binding: Fifteenth century, Italy. Sewn on three tawed skin, slit straps laced through tunnels in the edges of beech boards to channels on the outside and nailed. Natural color endbands, beaded on the spine, were sewn on tawed skin cores laid in grooves in the boards and nailed. There is tawed skin under the endband tie downs. Covered in green (?) tawed skin with a strip of red leather, 19th-20th centuries, added on the spine. Two truncated diamond catches with the IHS monogram within a sunburst (as used by St. Bernardinus of Siena) on the lower board. The upper board is cut in for clasp straps which are a later addition. Both clasps and catches have the word AVE. The title De re uxoria written in ink on both head and tail edges. The boards are badly worm eaten., Illuminated initial, f. 4r, 4-line, gold on blue, green, and red ground with yellow and white filigree. In lower border wreathed medallion with ribbons on either side, bearing the arms of Rainerius de Maschis of Rimini; the initials R and A, in gold, on either side of shield. Headings, paragraph marks, punctuation and marginalia, in red., Purchased from H. P. Kraus in 1955 by Thomas E. Marston., Script: Part I (ff. 1-3): Written in a small neat humanistic cursive by a single scribe, above top line. Part II (ff. 4-67): Written in a slanting humanistic bookhand with gothic features by a single scribe, above top line., and Watermarks: Part I: unidentified two-wheeled wagon. Part II: similar to Briquet Chapeau 3387.
Subject (Name):
Guarino,--Veronese,--1374-1460
Subject (Topic):
Didactic literature, Latin (Medieval and modern), Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Literature, Medieval--Translations, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library, and Speeches, addresses, etc., Latin (Medieval and modern)
Manuscript on parchment of Ovid, Heroides 16 (Paris to Helen) 1-38, 145-378, with an unidentified French translation. Latin text, which is written only on the verso of each leaf, faces the French translation, which is written on the recto of each leaf.
Description:
Binding: Seventeenth century, France (?). Bound in red goatskin, gold-tooled. Gilt edges. Title, much worn, on spine., Purchased from C. A. Stonehill in 1956 by Thomas E. Marston., Script: Latin text written in a round humanistic script much influenced by printing; Scribe 1) ff. 1v-21v and Scribe 2) ff. 22r-36r. French text written in upright batarde; Scribe 1) ff. 2r-22r and Scribe 2) ff. 22r-36r (a more flamboyant style of script)., and Two initials, one at beginning of Latin text (2-line), the other at the beginning of French text (3-line), respectively gold on blue square ground with gold filigree and gold on dark red square ground with gold filigree. Most stanzas introduced by paragraph marks in gold on blue or red alternating grounds, with gold filigree. First letter of each verse stroked with yellow, as are usually majuscules in text. Headings on ff. 1v and 2r in red.
Subject (Name):
Ovid,--43 B.C.-17 or 18 A.D
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Literature, Medieval--Translations, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library, and Narrative poetry, Latin