Add MS 59615

MISCELLANY: Chronicle of Charles I of Anjou, etc. probably copied in Florence; third quarter of 15th cent. Italian. With a note of ownership by Scipione Marchetti of Sinigaglia in the Marche (ff. iv), 17th cent. Probably belonged to Richard Heber (b.1773, d.1833) from whom it was bought in 1821 (see inscription on f. iii). Sold at Heber sale, Evans, 10 Feb. 1836, lot 1130. Belonged to Sir Thomas Phillipps (MS. 8451, see paper labels to spine and board (ff. i-ii) with description (f. v). Sold at Sotheby's on 30 Nov. 1965, lot 32. Purchased at Sotheby's, 8 Dec. 1975, lot 63.

Paper; ff. vii+99. Sec. fol.: 'de gentili di francia'. 288 x 212mm. Two 15th-cent. paper flyleaves. Gatherings (10) of 10, except ix12. Ruled (single bounding lines) in hard point for double columns of 28 to 33 lines. Catchwords and guideletters but with initials unfinished. Written space 190 x 131mm. Script is a humanistic cursive bookhand by one scribe. Rubrics in red. Watermarks of cardinal's hat (similar to Briquet no. 3373) of use in Florence and elsewhere circa 1475 and with endpapers with watermark of a pair of scissors (f. iv, f. vi) (similar to Zonghi nos. 634-638). Contemporary binding of Italian dark brown goatskin over wooden boards, blind-tooled, panelled sides with outer and inner boards and with fleurons repeated on a central roundel. Evidence of four metal bosses to corners of inner panel and central roundel.

Contents:

1. ff. 1-38v. Chronicle of Charles I of Anjou, King of Sicily, from 1260 until a few years after his death in 1285. Beg. 'Regnando nel reame di napoli . . . '; ends '. . . con buona ventura'.

2. ff. 39-45. Brief imperial chronicle from circa 900 to 1340. Beg. 'O imperio di roma . . . '; ends '. . . la beneditione imperiale'.

3. ff. 45v-47. Account of the Assyrian empire and of the division of the world into separate countries with their boundaries. Beg. '[N]oi troviamo p(er) le storie della bibia . . . '; ends '. . . storie (et) croniche'.

4. ff. 47v-48. Account of popes Innocent III and Honorius III. Beg. '[ ]Elli armj di . . . '; ends '. . . e cosi fu'.

5. ff. 48-49v. Account of popes Nicholas III and Martin IV ending in 1285. Beg. 'Essendo eletto dal. . . '; ends '. . . di sa(n)cta chiesa'. Items 1-5 are all annotated with references to Villani in the margins. Although they are not copies from Villani, they do follow his text and the facts presented there quite closely. For further information see 'Chronica di Giovanni Villani', vol. I-IV, in Collezione di storici e cronisti italiani (Florence, 1844).

6. ff. 50-87v. Boccaccio's Life of Dante. Beg. '[I]nchomincia la vita (et) chostumi (et) studij del chiarissimo Poeta . . . '; ends '. . . Dante Aldighierj fiorentino'. Boccaccio's Life of Dante was the first to be written of the great poet and the text here would appear to be the vulgate version which is considered as the definitive text, believed to have been composed circa 1360. For further information see N. Sapegno, Il trecento (Milan, 1934); Macri-Leone, La vita di Dante (Rome, 1888).

7. ff. 88-96. Bruni's Life of Dante. Beg. '[I]nchomincia la vita (et) chostumj (et) studij . . . '; ends '. . . con volgier di sue rote'.

8. ff. 96-99v. Bruni's Life of Petrarch. Beg. '[I]nchomi(n)cia la vita chostuni (et) studij . . . '; ends '. . . merita dar sipuote'. The brief lives by Leonardo Bruni of Dante and Petrarch were probably composed in 1436. For further information see H. Baron, Leonardo Bruni Aretino (Leipzig, 1928).