Manuscript on parchment of a summary of Giovanni Villani's Croniche
Description:
In Italian., Script: copied by a single hand writing Gothico-Humanistica Libraria on the basis of Italian Hybrida. Pale red headings. Flourished initials with penwork and marginal extensions, 2-line up to f. 16r, generally 3-line from f. 16v onwards. On f. 1r 2-line white vinestem initial incorporated into a border corner piece of the same style. In the lower margin two marks of oval seals (?) and the early number or date "1264"., The manuscript contains the Chronicle of Florence up to 1333, being a summary of the Croniche of Giovanni Villani (c. 1280-1348); the most recent edition of the Croniche is by G. Porta (Parma, 1991). The Compendio presented by our manuscript corresponds to Book 1, ch. 38 up to Book 10, ch. 219 of Villani's work. The author of the summary skips the majority of the chapters of the original and summarizes the ones he retains, placing them generally under Villani's headings without much changing the latter., and Binding: Italian binding circa 16th century: brown leather over wooden boards, both covers blind-tooled with fillets making a rectangular frame inscribed with a lozenge, and decorated with rows of stamps. In the center of the lozenge a cross. Spine with four raised bands. Remnants of four brass clasps attached to the rear cover, one at the upper and lower edges and two at the outer edges; five small brass bosses on each cover. On the spine a parchment label with the handwritten 16th century inscription: "Gio: Villan:"
