Manuscript on paper (polished) of Cecco d'Ascoli (Francesco Stabili), L'Acerba, Bks. 1-4 with the final 214 lines of Bk. 4 and all of the fragmentary Bk. 5 missing.
Description:
Binding: Nineteenth century, Italy. Vellum stays adhered inside and outside of quires. Backs of quires cut in for original sewing. Bookblock tacketed to a semi-limp paper case, reinforced at the spine. Handwritten paper label with title and a printed medallion with Flora (?) standing on an anchor and globe (?), both on spine., Blue initial, 6-line, with nice penwork designs, f. 1r. Smaller initials, 2-line, red with purple designs or blue with red designs, alternate throughout. Headings in pale red. Paragraph marks alternate red and blue. Later addition of arms in lower margin, f. 1r, effaced and covered with mending strips., Purchased from B. M. Rosenthal in 1959 by Thomas E. Marston., Script: Written by a single scribe in mercantesca script, above top line., and Watermarks: unidentified cherries (?) in upper margin, trimmed.
Subject (Topic):
Encyclopedias and dictionaries--Early works to 1600, Italian poetry--To 1400, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, and Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library
Compiled by Johannes Baptista F----- probably a Genoese connected with the Franciscan Order., Front pastedown: [This page and the recto of the facing front flyleaf are covered with small ink drawings of alchemical apparatus, mostly flasks and other glasswork on the left page, similar equipment, as well as a ""Bain-Marie"" and a large furnace on the facing right page, each drawing labeled. Verso of the front flyleaf is blank.], and Paper codex in Latin, Italian, and Spanish
Description:
In case with original, badly wormed, binding and endpapers. and Written throughout by one, perhaps two, hands in mid-sixteenth-century italic.
Subject (Topic):
Alchemy--Early works to 1800, Drawing--16th century, Italian poetry--16th century, and Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven