Manuscript on parchment (trimmed) of 1) Tacitus, Annales XI-XVI. 2) Tacitus, Historiae I-V. Possibly written for Alfonso II, Duke of Calabria, King of Naples
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written by two scribes; Scribe 1) ff. 1r-126r in a neat, slightly rounded gothic bookhand; Scribe 2) ff. 126v-218v, in a neat humanistic bookhand., Full border, f. 1r, attributed to Nicola Rapicano: white vine, infilled blue, red, and green, with white dots; framed and divided into panels by thin gold bands, the inner frame with a second band in two shades of purple, with white highlights. Outer and lower margins divided by band of fruit, in the outer margin, black with gold highlights, in the lower margin, red with green and gold highlights; divided into sections and at corners by English frets, infilled blue or green with white dots. In center of outer margin, a medallion after a classical coin or cameo, bust of a man in profile with a laurel wreath against a blue ground with fine white filigree; in center of lower margin, coat of arms of Alfonso II, Duke of Calabria, King of Naples (quarterly, first and fourth paly of 4 or and gules [Aragon], second and third argent, a cross potent sable [Calabria]), in a gold and purple quatrilobe frame, a gold diadem above, against a blue ground, as above, supported by four putti. Putti, birds (including a large peacock, center of inner margin), insects, and a bowl of fruit, symmetrically arranged in corners and around swags, often overlapping or passing behind decorative elements. Both inner and outer frame broken by text and marginalia, suggesting that the border is a later addition. Two lines of gold capitals open the text on f. 1r. On f. 136v, a 5-line white vine initial, gold, infilled red, green, and blue, against a blue ground, of inferior execution compared to f. 1r. Two 3-line initials, ff. 25v and 40v, gold or blue with purple or red penwork; each with guide-letters for illuminator., and Binding: Between 1890 and 1900, or 20th century. Dark brown goatskin, blind-tooled with rope work interspersed with copper colored dots in Italian style (15th century) by Leon Gruel (active under his own name between 1891 and 1923).
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut, New Haven., and Rome
Subject (Name):
Alfonso II, King of Naples, 1448-1495. and Tacitus, Cornelius.
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Latin prose literature, Manuscripts, Medieval, and History
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 paper, composed of four parts. Part I (ff. 1-13): Calendar, etc. Part II (ff. 14-138): Jacobus de Voragine, Legenda aurea. Part III (ff. 139-173): Anonymous letter to John Huss written after the Council of Constance; 35 articles of erroneous dogmatic teaching of the Greek church, written in the circle of the papal court during the endeavour to reconcile the Greek and Roman Churches at the Councils of Ferrara and Florence (1437-39). Part IV (ff. 174-269): Latin-German vocabulary
Description:
In Latin and German., Watermarks: unidentified mountain in gutter., Script: Each part written by a single hand in hybrida script., Part I: KL in calendar in blue; other charts and diagrams in shades of red and black. Small plain initials, headings, initial strokes and underlining in red. Parts II and III: Red or blue initials, 4- to 3-line, some with simple designs. Headings, paragraph marks, initial strokes, underlining in red. Guide letters for decorator. Part IV: Plain initials, and initial strokes, in red, for ff. 174r-176r., and Binding: Ca. 1500 (?), Austria. Parchment stays from early manuscripts in center of quires. Original (?) sewing on three tawed skin, double, twisted sewing supports laced into grooves in flush wooden boards and fastened with square pegs. The grooves are filled in with glue. The spine is rounded and backed (naturally?) and back bevelled. A plain, wound endband is sewn on a tawed skin core and also laced and pegged. The spine is lined with coarse cloth in the center and vellum at the ends, extending on the outside. Covered in plain, kermes pink, tawed skin (sheep?) possibly a later addition. Trace of one fastening, the catch on the upper board. There may have been a chain attachment at the head of the lower board. The insides of the boards have been varnished; off-set impressions of pastedowns from early manuscripts on both boards.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut and New Haven.
Subject (Name):
Jacobus, de Voragine, approximately 1229-1298., Council of Constance, and Council of Florence
Subject (Topic):
Christian legends, Latin language, German, Latin prose literature, Manuscripts, Medieval, and Schism, The Great Western, 1378-1417
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
Manuscript on paper of 1) C. Sallustius Crispus (c. 86-34 B.C.), De coniuratione Catilinae. 2) Bellum Iugurthinum
Description:
In Latin., Script: copied by one hand writing a careful Humanistica Textualis with wide distance between the lines., Lower section of leaves, especially of first and last quires, badly waterstained, causing loss of text. Quires strengthened by means of parchments stays at inner and at outer side., Space for 2-line initials has been reserved (for a 3-line initial on f. 1r). The words following a planned initial and the explicit formulas are in Capitalis., and Binding: original, blind-tooled, over wooden boards. Remnants of three clasps attached to the front cover with three nails each, one at each edge of the cover, and three pentagonal brass catches on the rear cover. Remnants of five bosses.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut, New Haven., and Rome
Subject (Name):
Sallust, 86 B.C.-34 B.C.
Subject (Topic):
Latin prose literature, Manuscripts, Medieval, and History
Manuscript on parchment (thin, good quality) of 1) Tacitus, Annales XI-XVI. 2) Tacitus, Historiae I-V. Written for King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary (1458-90), perhaps by Italians at his palace of Buda
Description:
In Latin., Script: Written by a single scribe in a well formed humanistic script., Twelve initials, 7- to 2-line, at beginning of each book (2 at the beginning of the Annales), gold edged in black, with white vine ornament, against a panelled ground of blue, green and mauve, with white dots, outlined with one or two thin white and one black line; ivy, drawn or pen, with triangular gold leaves or dots, projecting from corners into margins. On f. 1r, the initial includes a putto in the vinework; in the lower margin, coat of arms of Corvinus, type A (quarterly, first and fourth barry of 8 gules and argent [Hungary]; second and third gules, a lion rampant and queue-fourche argent [Bohemia]; an inescutcheon azur with raven sable holding an annulet or, with bordure or [Hunyadi family]. Workmanship of fair quality; style Northern Italian (?)., and Binding: Fifteenth century. Sewn on three tawed, slit straps laid in channels in beech boards. The straps are pegged and the channels filled in with plaster as are the endband grooves and the edge channels cut out for the clasps. The primary endband is plain, wound, and sewn on a tawed core and the secondary is beaded and colored. The core is laid in a groove and pegged. The square spine is given a slightly round shape by the bevelling of the boards and is lined with a tawed skin. Covered in dark, brick-red goatskin with a cusped shield azur, charged with a crow sable (Hunyadi family), in the center of each board; blind-tooled rope work, punch dots and other ornamentation gilt, gold-tooled or painted. "Cornelius Tacitus" is tooled along the head of the lower cover and is also written down the fore-edge with black ink. There are four fastenings, the brass catches on the lower board, with three of them covered over with added leather. The clasps are the same color as the cover and are reinforced with parchment. They are pegged in channels at the edges of the board, underneath the cover. The clasps and a little leather of the spine and the upper board are wanting.
Subject (Geographic):
Connecticut, New Haven., and Rome
Subject (Name):
Matthias I, King of Hungary, 1443-1490. and Tacitus, Cornelius.
Subject (Topic):
Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Latin prose literature, Manuscripts, Medieval, and History
