Manuscript on parchment of Livy, Ab urbe condita libri I-X.
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written by a single scribe in round humanistic script., On f. 1r: the initial F historiated with a view of Rome, full-page illuminated border in gold and colors into which are introduced the Trivulzio arms of Milan (paly of 6, or and vert) and a set of unidentified arms (gules, a cross saltire sable). Initials of books, 8-line, of painted gold on background of blue, green and red, and partial floral border., Initial on f. 2r damaged by crease., and Binding: Eighteenth century. Brown leather, gold-tooled, edges marbled and gilt, rebacked, with T. LIVII DECAS PRIMA on spine.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut, New Haven., and Rome
Subject (Name):
Livy.
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Latin literature, Manuscripts, Medieval, and History
Manuscript on parchment (goatskin) of Publius Vergilius Maro (70-19 B.C.), Aeneis, with the Argumenta of Books 1-12 ascribed to Ovid. Including Summary of Aeneis ascribed to Basilius, one of the Twelve Wise Men; Ps.-Vergilius, prologue to Aeneis; Six verses in praise of Mapheus Vegius (Maffeo Vegio, 1406-1458); Mapheus Vegius (Maffeo Vegio, 1406/7-1458), Book 13 of Aeneis; and Ps.-Octavianus Augustus, Poem in praise of Virgil's Aeneis
Description:
In Latin., Script: Copied by a single scribe writing a careful but somewhat unusual Humanistica Textualis Formata, with lengthened descenders at the bottom line., Very pale red rubrics and running numbering of the Books (on rectos, in Roman numerals); blue paragraph-marks; blue plain initials (2-3 lines) for the Argumenta; white vinestem initials (6 lines) with marginal extensions; on f. 5r (Book 1) 10-line white vinestem initial and full white vinestem border augmented with groups of three gold balls in the outer and lower margins; in the lower section a damaged coat of arms in a wreath, identified as argent, a fess azure., The lower margins of ff. 149, 181 and 192 have been cut and were replaced; in the first case this was done before writing; the upper and lower corners of the leaves are cut; ff. 1-14 have been repaired by pasting pieces of parchment to the damaged edges or corners. There is a triangular incision in the lower part of the outer edges in the large central section of the codex., and Binding: 1904 by Katharine Adams for Sydney Cockerell. Green pigskin over pasteboard; spine with five raised bands and the gold-tooled inscriptions "VERGILI / AENEIS / MS." and "NORTH ITALIAN / 1450". White parchment endleaves. Gilt edges. The preceding binding was purple morocco by Zaehnsdorf.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Virgil.
Subject (Topic):
Epic poetry, Classical, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Latin poetry, Medieval and modern, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on parchment of 1) Bible in the usual order with some prologues. 2) Index of Hebrew names generally attributed to Stephen Langton. 3) Chapters 25-29 of the Testament of the 12 Patriarchs. Written for Cardinal Niccolo Albergati
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written in rounded gothic bookhand., The Bible is a splendid example of the Italian late gothic illuminated manuscript. The decoration consists of two very richly illuminated pages (f. 5r, Genesis; f. 272r, Psalms), thirteen small miniatures (ff. 1r, 570v-576v), and 79 historiated initials, 7 to 10-line (not including ascenders or descenders) at the beginning of every book of the Bible, the sections of the Psalter, and a few prologues. The miniatures are in thin gold or yellow frames. The historiated initials are composed of acanthus, mauve, blue, pink, orange, and/or green. At least four artists collaborated in the illustration and decoration of the codex. On virtually every folio, recto and verso, are elaborate bar borders, in margins and/or between text columns, full or half-length, gold, blue, green, pink, and/or orange with white filigree, some with curling acanthus, leafy midpoints and terminals with acanthus and hair-spray extension. On folios with miniatures or initials, more elaborate borders (full borders on ff. 1r, 5r): curling hair-spray with gold dots and trefoil leaves, spikey ivy, pink, blue, orange and green flowers, putti, insects, birds, grotesques and, on f. 348v, a marginal scene, lower left corner, a fowler chasing rabbits., Ornamental initials (5 to 6-line) at the beginning of the prologues in red, blue, orange, and/or green, acanthus infilled red with white filigree against irregular gold grounds; gold against cusped pink and blue backgrounds with white filigree; some rinceaux initials in Franco-Flemish style, pink or blue with white highlights against cusped gold grounds. 2 and 1-line initials, gold on red and blue grounds with white filigree. Running titles in alternating red and blue letters or in gold against red and blue rectangular grounds with white filigree. Line fillers (ff. 617r-682r) in red, blue and/or gold. Chapter numbers in red or blue. Rubrics throughout., First two leaves slightly creased., and Binding: 19th-20th centuries. A painted design under the gilt fore edge. Red velvet binding.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Langton, Stephen, -1228.
Subject (Topic):
Versions, Vulgate, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on paper of 1) John of Rupescissa, De consideratione quinte essentie. 2) Arnold of Villanova, Epistola de sanguine humano ad magistrum Iacobum de Toleto. 3) Alchemical procedures. 4) Francesco Petrarca, Epistola ad Marcum Tullium Ciceronem. 5) Pier Paolo Vergerio, Epistola in nomine Ciceronis ad Franciscum Petrarcham. 6) Johannes Obrist, Super confectionem auri potabilis. 7) Nicolaus Claudii, Opus super aurum potabile
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written by a single scribe using a clear and regular gothic bookhand without strong nationalistic traits., Headings in red, rubricated., and Binding: Modern parchment over pasteboards, parchment pastedowns and guards, back gilt-lettered: "DE QVINTA ESSENTIA".
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Cicero, Marcus Tullius and Petrarca, Francesco, 1304-1374.
Subject (Topic):
Alchemy, Formulas, recipes, etc, Latin letters, Medieval and modern, and Manuscripts, Medieval
Manuscript on paper of a collection of alchemical texts, including works by Rasis, Roger Bacon, and Hermes. Though the Bacon text and one other are early practical alchemies, the contents are mainly speculative in character
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written by one scribe in a very neat and regular prehumanistic hand., Book and chapter headings in red, rubrication, capitals stroked yellow, larger initials painted in red or blue with tracery ornament in the contrasting color (all decoration probably by the scribe; red headings in the scribe's hand, all other red decoration with ink of apparently identical composition)., and Binding: Modern. Parchment, cut from a leaf of a very large manuscript, probably a lectionary, written in a Rotunda antiquior hand, Italian, 12th century; writing on outer surface erased, printed paper label on backstrip.
Manuscript on parchment and paper, written in two parts. Part I (parchment, written ca. 1490): 1) John of Rupescissa, De consideratione quinte essentie. 2) Descriptions of various herbs. Part II (paper, added ca. 1800): 3) Alchemy. 4) Recipes for making Prussian Blue, in Italian
Description:
In Latin and Italian., Script: Part I (ff. 1-40): Written by one hand in a neat, minute humanistic cursive. Part II (ff. 41-52): In an Italian hand., Part I: Headings in red throughout, that on f. 1r overwritten in an intense red ink covering earlier writing in pale red ink, the intense ink then used for the remainder of the headings in this portion of the codex, and the overwriting probably by the original scribe. Plain, small, roman capitals at beginnings of sections of the text in blue or green; a large initial "D" and a full border no f. 1r, as well as a smaller initial "L" at the beginning of the second book of text, foot of f. 25r, all finely illuminated in gold and colors in the "white-vine" style, the lower part of the border on f. 1r with a coat of arms consisting of a shield azure, a bear rampant or. Part II: Undecorated., and Binding: Late eighteenth century, probably French. Speckled calf, the sides undecorated, the repaired back in compartments with gilt tooling, the original title-stamping defective, speckled edges; restored by Carolyn Horton, November 1955.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Topic):
Alchemy, Formulas, recipes, etc, Herbs, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Prussian blue
Manuscript on parchment of Joannes de Sacrobosco's Algorismus vulgaris, a treatise on mathermatics, numbers, and Hindu-Arabic numerals. Here incorrectly attributed to Boethius in the opening rubric and The manuscript is a palimpsest containing portions of Ovid's Heroides: on f. 2, Epistle XVI, lines 109-172; on f. 3, Epistle XVI, lines 173-233; on f. 5, Epistle XIV, lines 79-132; on f. 7, Epistle XIII, lines 119-166; on f. 8, Epistle XVI, lines 234-297. Remaining leaves unidentified
Alternative Title:
Algorismus vulgaris and Algorismus Boetii incipit
Description:
In Latin., Title assigned by cataloger. Variant title from opening rubric., Layout: Single columns of 32 lines., Script: gothic hybrida., Decoration: rubrication., Binding: modern paper., Secundo folio: De additione., and Evidence of pricking.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Boethius, -524., Sacro Bosco, Joannes de, active 1230., and Ovid, 43 B.C.-17 A.D. or 18 A.D.
Manuscript on paper of Iohannes de Virgilio (Giovanni del Virgilio, 1300-1350), Allegoriae librorum Ovidii Metamorphoseos, in prose and verse
Description:
In Latin., Watermark: tower, var. Piccard, Turmwasserzeichen 611-613; var. Briquet, 15911?., Copied by one hand in extremely small Humanistica Semitextualis Libraria. In the poetical sections the majuscules at the opening of each verse are set apart., Headings ("liber secundus" etc.) in clumsy Capitalis (several times erroneous: "LIBE"). Space for a 2-line initial left free on the first line of f. 1r, although this is not the beginning of the text., and Binding: Fifteenth century. Brown leather (sheepskin?) over cardboard (replacing worm-eaten wooden boards), blind-tooled with a frame of fillets and rolls; in the central panel a motif made of small rhomboid stamps. Parchment front pastedown. Remnants or marks of four clasps attached to the front cover.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Giovanni del Virgilio, active 1319.
Subject (Topic):
Allegories, Latin literature, Medieval and modern, and Manuscripts, Medieval
