Manuscript on paper (thick, coarse) of Lives of the Saints, preceded by accounts of events in the Bible from both the Old and New Testaments. Folios 51 and 61 interchanged in rebinding.
Description:
Binding: Nineteenth century, Italy. Rigid vellum case with two red labels on spine: "Trattati di storia sacra" and "Manuscritto 1360"., Crudely executed title page, f. 1r, consisting of floral and foliage motifs in upper margin, scroll around column in inner margin, and, in outer margin, scroll around column terminating in elongated arm with text on the scroll (much rubbed and stained). In lower margin a coat of arms (damaged; probably: or, two columns gules); the letters B and C on either side in the bases of columns in inner and outer margins. The decoration of title page in bright red and green. Plain initials (some with simple foliage designs), headings, paragraph marks, pointing hands, and hands holding crosses or symbols of passions of martyrs (e. g., gridiron for Laurence), all in bright red, green, and/or black., Folio 1 damaged; no loss of text., Script: Written by several scribes in unruly mercantesca script, above top line. Script becomes smaller and tighter toward end of codex., and Watermarks: similar in design to Briquet Ciseaux 3708 dated Genoa, 1465.
Subject (Topic):
Christian hagiography, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Italian literature--15th century, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, and Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library
Manuscript on paper of an unidentified treatise, incomplete, on the Cardinal Virtues; material taken mostly from Valerius Maximus, with additional material from Augustine, the Bible, Cicero, Seneca, Macrobius, Aristotle, and Vegetius. and Unidentified treatise, incomplete, on the Cardinal Virtues; material taken mostly from Valerius Maximus, with additional material from Augustine (De civitate Dei, De beata vita, Epistolae), Bible (Proverbs), Cicero (De officiis, etc.), Seneca (Epistolae morales, De ira, De constantia), Macrobius, Aristotle, Vegetius, the "Storie Romane" of "Arineo" (f. 6r), and "Salino" (f. 23v). The presence of the "versificatore" (f. 11r), cited in Latin (Walther, Sprichwoerter 33507), and a similar constellation of sources suggest that Vincent of Beauvais' Speculum Doctrinale was a major (though not exclusive) source for this author.
Description:
Imperfect: incomplete manuscript; leaves 42-43 also wanting. and Written by a single scribe in humanistic cursive script.
Subject (Name):
Valerius Maximus
Subject (Topic):
Cardinal virtues, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Literature, Medieval--Translations, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, and Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library
Manuscript on parchment of Valerius Maximus, Factorum et dictorum memorabilium ad Tiberium cesarem.
Description:
Binding: 15th-16th centuries. Resewn on four tawed, slit straps laced through the edge of wooden boards and nailed in channels which are filled in with plaster. There is a piece of leather at the exit from one tunnel and what may be the tips of nails just inside the channel so earlier supports may have been of leather, nailed twice. The endbands, sewn on twisted leather cores laid in grooves, were tied down through a leather spine lining, the embroidery with three beads. The edges are gilt with a design scratched on them, the spine square. Covered in dark brown goatskin with corner tongues, blind-tooled with a star in a circle with wide rope interlace panels above and below, inside concentric outer borders. Small diamonds and dots on the spine. Four brass catches on the lower board and stubs of velvet straps nailed to the upper. One joint cracked and repaired and one endband added., On f. 3r, a good historiated initial, 7-line: the author in armor, holding his book; thick, curling foliage forms, pink, orange, blue, and green, on an irregular gold ground, edged in black. Nine illuminated initials (ff. 16r, 29v, 43r, 57r, 72r, 85v, 98r, 111v, and 126r) to open Books 2-10, composed of foliage, as above, and striated color strips, in vibrant blue, orange, crimson, mauve, green, and occasionally yellow, highlighted in white and variations of the same basic hues. 4-, 2-line initials, blue with red penwork or vice versa. Book numbers at top of page, red and blue; rubrics throughout. Remains of guides for rubricator., and Script: Written by a single scribe in fere-humanistic script. Marginal and interlinear notes in several contemporary and later hands.
Subject (Geographic):
Rome--History--Tiberius, 14-37
Subject (Name):
Valerius Maximus
Subject (Topic):
Didactic literature, Latin, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval--Connecticut--New Haven, and Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in Beinecke Library