Add MS 8450

DIARY of Francesco Mucantio; 1589-1592. Latin and Italian. Copy, 17th cent. Francesco Mucantio was Master of Ceremonies at the Papal Court. His diary covers the papacies from Sixtus V to Innocent IX. Information on Mucantio in Bibliografia Romana. Notizie della vita e delle opere degli scrittori romani dal secolo XI fino ai nostri giorni (Rome, 1880), pp. 187-188. Title (f.1) 'Diaria Fratis Germani Coadiutoris Francisci Mucanti Sedis Apostolicae Magistri Ceremoniarum A Die Ultima Octobris 1589 Ad 19 Aprilis 1590 & A Die 10 Martii 1591 Ad Diem 12 Januarii 1592'. Inc. (f. 2) 'Die ultima mensis Octobris 1589 in Vigilia Festivitatis Sanctorum Omnium fuerunt Vesperae Papales in Cappella Palatii', expl. (f. 245) 'ma non era arrivato, et havuta la nova della morte d'Innocentio Nono se ne tornò a dietro. Entro l'istesso giorno in Conclave à hore 20'. Extracts of Mucantio's diary published in J. B. Gatticus, Acta Caeremonialia Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae (Rome, 1753), pp. 336-338, 394, 425-426, 449-452, 477, 480, (BL copy 16.e.11). No division in the text marks the separate years, which are as follows: 1589 (ff. 2-49), 1590 (ff. 49v-63), 1591 (ff. 64-237), 1592 (ff. 237-245). Old shelfmark in ink '1' in lower left corner of front pastedown. Owned by Frederick North, 5th Earl of Guilford, but lacking his armorial bookplate. '343' in pencil in upper left corner of front pastedown. Purchased, together with Add. 8364, 8447, 8448, 8449, 8451, 8452, by Thomas Thorpe, 10 Dec. 1830, lot 343 (part) and subsequently given to the British Museum in exchange for lot 604.

Paper; ff. 245. Modern foliation in pencil. 310 x 230mm. Catchwords on every page. One 17th-cent. Italian hand. Watermark: bird, same as Haewood, Watermarks, 161 (1648, Rome) but with letter 'N' above the bird. Full vellum binding over pasteboards, 17th cent.