Add MS 8504

NICOLA DELLA TUCCIA, Chronicle of Viterbo for the years 1169-1473; 17th cent. Italian. Copy. The MS. contains the chronicle of Viterbo written between 1417-1473 by the local historian Nicola Della Tuccia (1400 - circa 1473). Nicola divided his historical work into two parts: the first part of his chronicle relates only to local events from the foundation of the town to the year 1476 (the events relating to the years 1474-1476 were added by another hand in the original MS.); the second part links the history of Viterbo in the years 1417-1468 to contemporary events in other Italian towns. The present MS. contains only the first part of the chronicle. Its text is incomplete at the beginning and end and covers the years 1169-1473. Among the sources used by Nicola for his work, are: - the annals of Viterbo compiled by Godfrey of Viterbo or Gottifredo Tignosi (1106-1192), chaplain of emperors Conrad III, Frederick I and Henry VI, bishop of Viterbo (1184-1192), and author of the Pantheon, universal history of the world in Latin verses; - the chronicle of Viterbo for the years 1169-1255 written in Latin by Lancillotto Tignosi (fl. circa 1230-1255), a goldsmith and poet, called Anzillotto in the present MS. Lancillotto's text, translated, revised and continued, constitutes the initial part of Nicola's local chronicle. The present MS. is listed in Palma di Cesnola, no. 403, p. 30. Nicola's complete work was published with an extensive historical introduction by I. Ciampi as Cronache e statuti della Città di Viterbo (Florence, 1872), mentioning (p. xxxiv) a similar MS. in the library of the Reverenda Camera Apostolica (R.C.A.), now Rome, Archivio di Stato, Biblioteca, MS. 170. Also published by F. Cristofori as Cronica di Anzillotto Viterbese dall’anno MCLXI l’anno MCCLV, continuata da Nicola di Nicola di Bartolomeo della Tuccia sino all’anno MCCCCLXXIII (Rome, 1890). For Nicola Della Tuccia see DBI, 37 (1989), pp. 712-714, and Letteratura Italiana. Gli autori, vol. 2 (Turin, 1991), pp. 1257-1258. For Lancillotto of Viterbo see I. Ciampi, Cronache..., op.cit., no. xiii, pp. 292-294; for Gottifredo Tignosi see I. Ciampi, Cronache..., op.cit., no. xxviii, pp. 309-313. The present MS. is entitled (f. 1) 'Cronica di Anzillotto viterbese dall'anno 1169. Continuata da Nicola di Nicola Della Tuccia sino all'anno 1473', inc. (f. 2) 'Erano detti Viterbesi arditi e possenti', expl. (f. 210v) 'La chiesa de Santo Spirito de Fabule, ove stanno li frati chiamati Cruciferorum': cf. I. Ciampi, Cronache..., op.cit., pp. 5-108. A marginal note at f. 83v, 'Qui principia Nicola della Tuccia', singles out Nicola's own account of the events from the year 1406. Followed (ff. 211-222) by a contemporary table of contents. Armorial bookplate of the Hon. Frederick North, later 5th Earl of Guilford, with shelfmark 'L/19/A' (front pastedown). '405' in pencil in upper left corner of front pastedown. Purchased, together with Add. 8253, from R. H. Evans, 8 December 1830, lot 405 (part).

Paper; ff. 223+i. Modern foliation in pencil '1-222' (followed here), omitting one leaf after f. 97. Old pagination in ink '1-420' (ff. 1-210v). 272 x 198mm. One Italian hand. Quarter binding of red leather with gilt-tooled spine in compartments and marbled paper covers over pasteboards: possibly a Guilford binding.