Manuscript on paper (deckle edges) of 1) Chronicle of Pisa (from the founding of the city to 1342). 2) Chronicle of Pisa, covering the years from creation to 1400, with the Chronicle of Ranieri Sardo beginning at 1355; the final paragraph, dealing with 1422, was added by a later continuator after Sardo's death
Description:
In Italian., Watermarks: unidentified sun within circle, in gutter., and Binding: Nineteenth century. Vellum spine and fore-edge strip, with gold tooling on spine and dark red label: "Cronica Pisano./ 1342/ Annali di Pisa./ 1422/ MS." Marbled paper sides.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut, New Haven., and Pisa (Italy)
Subject (Topic):
Italian literature, Manuscripts, Medieval, and History
Manuscript on parchment of Leonardo Bruni, De bello italico adversus gothos, in the Italian version by Ludovico Petroni made in 1456. Preceded by the letter of Leonardo Bruni to Giuliano Cardinal Cesarini (1398-1444).
Description:
In Italian., Script: Written by a single scribe in fere-gothic script, above top line., Partial border in inner margin of white vine-stem ornament, f. 1r, on blue, green and pink ground with white and blue dots. In lower border terminals extending in ink hair spray with green, pink and blue flowers and gold balls frame central medallion with a crude outline drawing of a head in profile (later addition?). Two decorated initials, 4- to 3-line, gold on blue, pink and green grounds with white vine-stem ornament. On f. 1r initial joined to partial border. Heading on f. 1r in red., and Binding: 18th-19th centuries, Italy. "Alla rustica" with grey-green paper added over the spine and part of the boards. Edges yellow.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut, New Haven., and Rome
Subject (Name):
Bruni, Leonardo, 1369-1444. and Cesarini, Giuliano, Cardinal, 1398-1444.
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Italian literature, Literature, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and History
Manuscript on parchment (goatskin) of Antonio Beccadelli (Antonius Panormita, 1394-1471), De dictis et factis Alfonsi regis, Ital. translation. With Giovanni Gioviano Pontano (Iohannes Iovianus Pontanus, 1426-1503), De principe, Ital. translation
Description:
In Italian., Script: Written by one hand in a slightly shaky Southern Gothica Textualis Formata (Rotunda), the majuscules partly in Roman Capitals. Headings in clumsily executed Capitals with crossed letter I., Headings in red. 2- or 3-line plain initials alternately red and blue, with guide-letters. Larger initials with some flourishing at the beginning of each work., and Binding: Eighteenth century (?). White parchment over cardboard. On the spine the title is written "Panormit: de' Fatti d'Alfonso, e Pontano del Princip: MS." and at the bottom, partly worn off, the early shelf-mark "Cass. 1 58 an (?) x9".
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut, New Haven., and Italy
Subject (Name):
Beccadelli, Antonio, 1394-1471.
Subject (Topic):
Didactic literature, Italian literature, Literature, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Politics and government
Manuscript on paper of Benedetto Cotrugli (Benedictus de Cotrullis, c. 1410-1469), De navigatione liber (Della navigazione). After the prologue in Latin addressed to the Doge and the Senate of Venice, the author, quoting countless Biblical, ancient, medieval and Renaissance authors and drawing largely on his own experience, discusses the oceans and seas, islands, ports, the history of ship-building and navigation, weather, and astronomy. At the end, he includes portolano maps and describes the coast of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea
Description:
The author, born in Ragusa (Dubrovnik), was a businessman and humanist, from 1451 onwards in favour at the Court of Naples. His Della mercatura e del mercante perfetto, written in 1458, was for a long time considered his only surviving work. Our manuscript, written during his lifetime and no doubt under his supervision or by his hand, is the only existing manuscript of Della navigazione and it is unfinished, missing most of its illustrations and the end of the text., In Italian., Script: Written by one hand in Humanistica Cursiva close to Humanistica Textualis. Headings and opening words of chapters in pale red capitals., Heightening of majuscules and paragraph marks in pale red up to f. 10r. Space for 2- or 3-line initials at the opening of all chapters, the initials not executed. Illustration largely missing; the few that have been executed are crudely drawn., and Binding: Nineteenth century. Yellowish parchment over cardboard. Marbled paste-downs.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Cotrugli, Benedetto, d. 1468.
Subject (Topic):
Astronomy, Medieval, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Italian literature, Manuscript maps, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Navigation
Manuscript on goatskin parchment of Contes Facinus (Conte Facino), Dialogus de amicitia (Dialogue on Friendship), with a dedicatory letter addressed to Francesco Molin (or Molino), dated Padua, 6 March 1470
Description:
Script: Copied by a single hand in Humanistica Textualis. The text at the end of art. 1 is triangular shaped., Decoration: Rich illumination in Paduan style. Pale red captions in the margins. Contains various images and figures, including putti, a griffon, an elaborate altar rendered in trompe-l'oeil, and candelabra. For more information see the detailed description filed in the collection., Binding: Italian, from the first half of the 16th century, attributed to the Manutius bindery. Composed of dark brown leather over pasteboard; both covers are blind-tooled (or silver-tooled) with a frame enclosing at the top and bottom two horizontal strapwork friezes. Remnants of tow clasps attached to the front board are preserved. Gilded edges., and In Latin.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Facino, Conte.
Subject (Topic):
Friendship, Italian literature, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on paper of Domenico Cavalca OP (c. 1270-1342), Esposizione del Credo
Description:
In Italian., Script: written in many different hands., Unevenly spread decoration., Parchment stays in the center and at the outer side of the quires; the fold of many bifolios is repaired by means of strips of parchment. The top, outer and lower margins water-stained, the upper outer corners of the leaves defective. Many lower margins repaired by means of strips of paper., and Binding: 19th century. Quarter binding, brown paper over cardboard, the spine in brown leather with five raised bands, the second compartment gold-tooled with the title “CAVALCA / ESPOSIZIONE / DEL CREDO”. Marbled endpapers.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Cavalca, Domenico, -1342. and Dominicans.
Subject (Topic):
Creeds, Italian literature, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment of Aristotle, Ethica. An anonymous Tuscan translation made for Nuno de Guzman from the Latin translation of Leonardo Bruni
Description:
In Italian., Script: Text written in a well formed humanistic bookhand by a single scribe; the rubrics, in majuscules, by another scribe who used excessive punctuation., The decoration is by Gioacchino de' Gigantibus. A gold initial, 5-line, on f. 1r embedded in white vine ornament, extending into sides, top, and lower margin, filled in with green, red, and blue, with small section at regular intervals filled with gold; a green bird near the initial; in lower margin, an empty laurel wreath supported by putti filled later with a coat of arms (unidentified) in pen, now effaced; a few gold dots with hair-spray in brown ink. Other initials, gold, 5- to 4-line, on ff. 7r, 93v, 106v, 126r, 161v, in same manner, but with gold infilling., Significant stains in margins of first few leaves., and Binding: Eighteenth century. Edges gilt. Green calf with tan, gold-tooled label.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Aristotle.
Subject (Topic):
Ethics, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Italian literature, Literature, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Philosophy, Ancient
Manuscript on paper (sturdy), composed of two volumes formerly bound as one. Volume I (ff. 1-55): Historia Alexandri Magni compiled largely from the version of Archpresbyter Leo, translated into Italian. Volume 2 (ff. 56-115): Leonardo Bruni, De primo bello punico, translated into Italian
Description:
In Italian., Watermarks: similar in design to Briquet Chapeau 3369-70, unidentified mountain., Script: Written by a single scribe in careless notarial script., Blank spaces for headings that would have also included the first few words of text., and Binding: Twentieth century. Brown decorated paper cases with blank and inscribed labels.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Alexander, the Great, 356-323 B.C.
Subject (Topic):
Italian literature, Literature, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Punic wars
Manuscript on parchment of 1) Curtius Rufus, Historia Alexandri Magni, translated into Italian and supplemented with material from Plutarch by Pier Candido Decembrio. 2) Pier Candido Decembrio, Comparazione di Cesare e d'Alessandro Magno
Description:
In Italian., Script: Written by a single scribe in a slightly rounded humanistic bookhand with many cursive elements, below top line., One illuminated intial, 6-line, gold against blue, green and pink ground with white vine-stem ornament, extending into inner margin to form a partial border; terminating at top and bottom in pen inkspray with buds in green and pink and gold balls with hair-line extensions. Plain initials, 3- to 2-line, in blue, mark text divisions; headings in pale red., and Binding: 15th-16th centuries, Italy. Sewn on four tawed skin, slit straps laid in channels on the outside of wooden boards and pegged. Gilt edges. Covered in brown goatskin with corner tongues, and blind-tooled with a ropework star inside painted (red) and blind-tooled circles inside a floral border, all with metallic annular dots. There are traces of four leaf-shaped fastenings, the catches on the lower board, the upper one cut in for fabric straps attached with star-headed nails. Rebacked twice.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Alexander, the Great, 356-323 B.C., Caesar, Julius., Decembrio, Pier Candido, 1399-1477., Plutarch., and Rufus, Curtius.
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Italian literature, Literature, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
