Manuscript on parchment of Caesar, Bellum Gallicum, translated into Italian by Pier Candido Decembrio in 1438. With Dedication of the translation to Filippo Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan
Description:
In Italian., Script: Written below top line in a bold round humanistic hand by a single scribe who added extra rulings in outer margins for headings, annotations, etc., in red. Additional annotations in humanistic cursive, in a brighter shade of red., Elegant illuminated title page (f. 2v) with the title, written in blue over an erasure, in a circular wreath, green with gold flowers, and framed by narrow gold bands with fillets and inkspray issuing from the top and bottom with blue and deep red flowers, green leaves and gold balls. Full border, f. 1r, white vine-stem ornament on blue, green, deep red and gold ground between thin gold frames. In lower border, medallion, blank, framed by wreath, green with yellow highlights and narrow deep red frame. Partial border, f. 3r, white vine-stem ornament on blue, green and deep red ground between narrow gold frames, enlarged to elongated dots at terminals; white vine-stem ornament extends into upper (trimmed) and lower margins, with single gold balls with hair-line strokes. 8 large initials, 11- to 3-line, gold on blue, green, gold and deep red ground with white vine-stem ornament shaded with pale pink. First few words of each book in gold; incipits, explicits and marginalia in red., and Binding: Date? Italy. Vellum case with title in ink on spine: "Cesare Comment". Gilt, gauffered edges and gold and cream silk endbands. Fragments of a printed service book with musical notation partially visible under pastedowns.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut, New Haven., and Rome
Subject (Name):
Caesar, Julius.
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Literature, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and History, Military
Manuscript on paper (trimmed), with parchment bifolios interspersed, of Julius Caesar, Commentary on the Gallic Wars, translated into French by Jean Duchesne. Written for Jacques Donche, counselor of Charles the Bold of Burgundy
Description:
In French., Watermarks: similar to Briquet Armoires: Trois fleurs de lis 1741., Script: Written in neat batarde script by Hellin de Burchgrave., Ten half-page miniatures, each in an arched frame composed of two thin bands, gold and red highlighted with white, edged in black, the arch with tiny cusps; beneath, initials, 6-, 4-, or 3-line, blue or blue and red with white highlights on a gold ground of irregular shape conforming to the letter, edged in black, with serifs protruding into the left margin; filled with green and/or red and crimson trilobe leaves on curling stems with white and/or yellow highlights, or with a blue, green, crimson, and gold diapered ground with white highlights. Three smaller miniatures, 12- or 14-line, occasionally cut off at the upper edge so as to fill only part of a line of text; frames rectilinear, otherwise identical to those described above, Beneath, 2-line initials, blue, with white highlights, filled with trilobe leaves, as above, once (f. 25r) with one leaf of spiky acanthus added, and once (f. 256r) with a pink ground with gold filigree. There is a blank space on f. 27r for another miniature of this type. Other decoration consists of 2-line calligraphic initials, paragraph marks, line fillers (spirals and heraldic dragons), page and chapter headings, all executed in red. The first one or two lines of some books (as well as occasional lines within the text) are underlined in red., A few folios have tears in the margins., and Binding: Eighteenth century. Spattered and gilt edges. Red goatskin, gold-tooled, with the arms of Eugene of Savoy on cover and his monogram on spine.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut, New Haven., and Gaul
Subject (Name):
Caesar, Julius.
Subject (Topic):
French literature, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Literature, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and History
Manuscript on paper of C. Iulius Caesar (100-44 B.C.), De bello Gallico; De bello civili; De bello Alexandrino; De bello Africo; De bello Hispaniensi
Description:
In Latin., Script: Copied by one scribe writing a small Gothico-Humanistica with features close to Gothica Semitextualis Libraria., Pale red headings in Humanistica Textualis, sometimes missing, especially towards the end of the codex. Running headlines in the same colour and by the same hand, “L” in the middle of the verso page, the number in the middle and the title at right on the recto page. Gothic initials at the head of the subdivisions of the text as sketched above (including f. 69r): (1) foliate initials in Lombard style in red and green, filled with blue heightened with white penwork, on a square gold background, up to f. 51r; the opening one (f. 1r) is 9 lines high and has penwork extensions ending in leaves in the left and upper margin (the latter interfering with the heading); the others are 4-5 lines high and have similar sprays in the left margin only; (2) Starting f. 68v (art. 2) blue flourished initials (4-6 lines) with red penwork, the latter extending in the margin., and Binding: ca. 1700 (repaired in 1993 by P. Dusel). Brown sprinkled calf over cardboard, gold-tooled: the covers decorated with a double fillet frame, the spine, with seven raised bands, richly decorated. In the second compartment a red title label with gold-tooled inscription “CESARIS / COMMENT/ARII .Ms.” Red edges.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut, New Haven., and Rome
Subject (Name):
Caesar, Julius.
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and History, Military
Manuscript on paper of Julius Caesar (100-44 B.C.), Commentarii de bello Gallico; with flyleaf notarial documents
Description:
Script: Copied by one hand (scribe named John for unknown commissioner), writing Gothica Hybrida Libraria and using some Capitalis majuscules (especially "a"); while the flyleaves are written in documentary Gothica Semihybrida., Decoration: Headings and explicit formula in purplish red, generally in imitation Capitalis; 3- (once 4-) line initials in the same colour, mostly in imitation Capitalis; running headlines in red on the recto pages, containing the number of the book in Roman numerals., Binding: Blind-tooled red leather over wooden boards, sewn on four double cords; both covers are decorated with frames of fillets; the central panel is decorated in Lederschnitt; plaited headbands; and two brass clasps attached to the rear board., and In Latin.
Manuscript on parchment (hair side mottled) of Suetonius, De vita Caesarum
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written by a single scribe in a round humanistic script that inclines slightly toward the left., Illuminated title page with partial border in upper and inner margin, white vine-stem ornament against vibrant blue, green and red ground with white dots and gold balls, terminating in pen inkspray with gold balls and large blossoms, yellow and red with gold highlights in upper margin, blue with white highlights in inner margin. Inner margin interrupted by a scrolling banderole (no inscription) in blue and red with white highlights. Floral border in lower margin, pen inkspray with flowers in blue, red, green and pink, and gold balls, surrounding a wreathed medallion with unidentified arms (azure 3 bendlets argent, a chief or with 3 birds sable beaked and membered gules) and the initials VI and M (arms and initials are later additions), on a parchment ground. 12 illuminated initials, 8- to 6-line, gold. Some against green and red grounds with yellow and white highlights, filled with yellow shaded white vine-stem ornament against blue, green and red grounds with white and yellow dots. Other initials on blue, green and red grounds with yellow shaded white vine-stem ornament, yellow and white dots. Initials on ff. 1r, 26v, 83v, 119r, 140r, 170r are enclosed within faceted rectangular frames. Headings and marginal notes by original scribe in red., and Binding: Fifteenth century, Italy. Resewn on four supports and rebacked. Edges yellow. Covered in brown leather over wooden boards, blind-tooled with concentric frames alternately filled with rope interlace. A triple cross in the central panel. Badly cut tools and impressions burned into the leather. Four fastenings, the catches on the lower board.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Caesar, Julius. and Suetonius, approximately 69-approximately 122.
Subject (Topic):
Biography, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Latin prose literature, and Manuscripts, Medieval
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
Manuscript on parchment of Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Gallico; Commentarii de Bello Civili; De Bello Alexandrino; De Bello Africo; and De Bello Hispaniensis
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written by a single scribe in a small elegant humanistic bookhand., Fine initials, gold capitals, 9- to 5- line, edged in yellow, filled with white-vine ornament, on blue, green, and red ground, decorated with yellow dots. Headings in red., and Binding: Fifteenth century. Wound sewing on four slit straps. Colored beaded endbands sewn onto cores of tawed skin laced and nailed into wooden boards. All edges gilt. The sewing straps are laced through tunnels in the edges of the boards and nailed in channels on the outside, protruding well above the face. Covered in dark brown goatskin, blind-tooled with an eight-pointed star and corners filled in with rope-tool interlace interspersed with copper-colored dots, in a border of rectangular tools. Four catches on the lower board and stubs of red cloth (velvet?) straps lined with parchment held to the upper with star headed nails
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut, New Haven., and Rome
Subject (Name):
Caesar, Julius.
Subject (Topic):
Latin prose literature, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Manuscripts, Medieval, and History
"Caesar right at prow as Roman galleys approach shore beneath hail of arrows and rocks; hand-to-hand conflict in foreground."--British Museum online catalogue, description of an earlier state
Alternative Title:
Débarquement de Jules César
Description:
Title from text below image., Probably a later state, with additional French title added and with year removed from end of imprint statement. Cf. British Museum online catalogue, registration number: 1952,0211.36., Date of publication inferred from that of probable earlier state in the British Museum online catalogue., Plate numbered in lower right corner: No. 1., Sheet trimmed within plate mark., Watermark., and Embossed stamp in lower left corner of sheet.
Publisher:
Publish'd for J. & P. Knapton & R. Dodsley, according to act of Parliament
Subject (Name):
Caesar, Julius.
Subject (Topic):
Campaigns & battles, Landing craft, Soldiers, and Roman
