Add MS 6051

CICERO: 'De Officiis', written by Bartolomeo Sanvito; 1494. Latin. Origin: Italy. Beg. 'Quam quam te Marce fili annum iam audientem'. First printed in Maintz, 1465. For a modern edition see M. Tulli Ciceronis officiis libri tres, P. Fideli (1965). See also: L. F. Reynolds, ed., Texts and transmission. A survey of the Latin Classics (1983), pp. 130-131; Watson, no. 5. At least 45 other copies of this text exist in the Department's collections. Coat of arms of original owner (f. 3). Presented by Robert Watson Wade, Esq., 1811.

Vellum and paper (ff. 1-2, 134); ff. 134. Sec. fol.: 'impedio. Orationem autem'. 150 x 95mm. Gatherings of 10, xiii12 (lacks 12, a stub with paper leaf attached). Quires, except the last, marked A-M in capitals, bottom right last folio verso. Single columns. Written in Rome in cursive italic script by Bartolomeo Sanvito. Colophon (f. 133) 'M.T. Ciceronis .MCCCCX[ . . . ] B.S.S.'. Part of the colophon has been over-written, the latter part of the date has been erased and the date '1410' added in a 17th? cent. hand at the foot of the page. B. L. Ullman, The origins and development of the humanistic script (1960), p. 89, points out that

5 Dec. fell on Friday only in 1404, 1483 and 1494, and only 1494 is possible. For the ascription to Sanvito, see J. Wardrop, The script of humanism (1963), pp. 19-35, 51. All marginals are in the hand of Sanvito. Headings in red, blue and green, capitals in blue, marginals in red and blue. Decorated initials in red, green and gold, ff. 58v, 92. Title-page in red, blue, green and gold, with columns and a decorated initial (f. 3). Coat of arms at the foot of this title page is probably that of the original owner: [azure, a chevron, three pierced roundels or crescents]. This title-page bears marks of over-writing, like the colophon (f. 133). Paper title-page with sketch of arms, 18th cent. (f. 1). Original black leather Italian binding, possibly Roman, gilt-stamped, lacks spine.