Manuscript on goatskin parchment of Antonio Cornazzano, Della vera nobilità, a poem in terzine in honor of the condottiere Antonio Martinengo (d. 1473, Brescia). This is probably the presentation copy of the poem
Description:
Script: Copied by one hand in Humanistica Textualis; the first majuscule of each terzine placed between the double bounding-lines at left of the text., Decoration: The Latin headings in front of each of the seven sections of the poem seem to have been deleted. Each section opens with a 2-line gold initial on a square coloured background heightened with white, yellow or gold penwork. The initial is accompanied by three gold balls in black penwork flourishes in the margin. Marginal annotations throughout appear in pale red ink., Binding: The original parchment covers and spine are pasted onto new boards; the covers are gold-tooled with a fillet and a floweret in each corner., and In Italian.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut, New Haven., and Italy.
Subject (Name):
Cornazzano, Antonio, 1429-1484.
Subject (Topic):
Manuscripts, Medieval, Nobility, and Italian poetry
Manuscript on paper (watermarks buried in gutter) of Gregorio (or Leonardo?) Dati, La Sfera. This rhyming treatise (ottava rima) is divided into two parts: 1) a treatise on astronomy; 2) rules for navigation and the determination of the position of the sea
Description:
In Italian., Script: Written by one person in neat mercantile script., One 4-line initial, f. lr., gold capital with white-vine foliage against a blue, pink and green ground, connected to a 3/4 white-vine border with brown penwork and gold dots; a coat of arms in wreath at center of lower margin. Two 3-line initials, ff. 7r and 14v, gold, against pink and green grounds with yellow and white filigree. Folios 1r-14v illustrated in margins with astronomical and geographical diagrams, all of them circular, tinted drawings in brown pen with red, yellow, blue and green washes. Folios 15r-24v decorated with unframed maps and illustrations drawn in brown pen, and tinted green, brown and red. Most illustrations unlabeled., Some leaves repaired; the manuscript shows signs of heavy use., and Binding: 16th-17th centuries. Resewn on three vegetable fiber supports. Rounded spine. Covered in black/brown sheepskin over wooden boards with corner tongues. Blind-tooled with five line fillets forming diamonds. There are traces of four bosses on each board and two clasp-and-catch fastenings, the catches on the lower board. Fastenings and bosses are wanting. Concentric circles are scratched in the center of the lower board. Rebacked.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Dati, Gregorio, 1362-1436.
Subject (Topic):
Astronomy, Medieval, Italian poetry, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, Early maps, and Navigation
Manuscript on paper of Anonymous epic in ottava rima dealing with San Giusto paladin of Charlemagne
Description:
In Italian., Script: Copied by one hand in bold Southern Gothica Textualis Formata (but f and straight s slightly descending below the base-line), with majuscules under strong Humanistic influence., The first letter of each verse heightened with yellow. Red plain initials (3-4 lines) at the head of each Book (no space had been provided for the last one)., and Binding: Eighteenth century. White parchment over cardboard. Spine with red leather title-label with gold-tooled inscription "LE BATTAGL. DI J. PALLAD. CON IL DEMONIO. MS. 1400". Marbled endpapers and red and blue sprinkled edges.
Manuscript on paper of a miscellany including texts by Leonardo Bruni, Petrarch, Stefano Porcari, Matteo Palmieri, and Giovanni Boccaccio
Description:
In Italian., Watermarks: similar to Briquet Fleur 6651, Briquet Echelle 5910, Briquet Etoile 6070 and one unidentified., Script: Written in a mercantile script (mercantesca) by one hand., Calligraphic initials, 4- to 2-line, in red with purple or blue with red. Rubrics in brownish-red., and Binding: Nineteenth century. Paper binding "alla rustica". On spine, "Miscella di belle lettere".
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Topic):
Italian literature, Italian poetry, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment of Jacopo Ariani (?), 200 Sonnets addressed to a lady called Laura. With Alberto Maffei, Colophon in the form of a sonnet addressed to the readers
Description:
In Italian., Script: Written by Alberto Maffei in a small calligraphic Humanistica Semitextualis Formata., Each sonnet opens with a Capital in gold ink, the three subsequent stanzas with alternating red and blue Capitals. On the opening page (f. 2r), however, the opening Capitals are in gold on a square blue background dotted with gold, above each of the two sonnets floral ornaments have been painted in red and gold ink and in the lower margin there is a medallion within a gold wreath adorned with ribbons and containing the coat of arms of the Ariani family flanked by the initials "I.A.". ff. 1 and 52 are stained purple and the text of artt. 1 and 3 is written in gold ink, the headings being executed in silver ink. On both pages silver and gold floral ornaments in three margins. The ones in the lower margins end in Capital "A" (for "Albertus")., and Binding: Nineteenth century. Blue velvet over cardboard with blue watered-silk doublure. Gilt edges.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Ariani, Jacopo.
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Italian poetry, and Manuscripts, Medieval
