Add MS 8794

CATALOGUE OF THE COLLECTION OF ANCIENT COINS AND MEDALS OWNED BY THE MEDICI, GRAND DUKES OF TUSCANY; 17th cent. Italian, Latin, and Greek. Possibly a draft of the collection catalogue in Add. 8795, as the lay-out of the text in the two MSS. is very similar. Another catalogue of the collection in Add. 8796. Neither of these catalogues is mentioned by Giovanna Gaeta Bertelà in 'Le fonti d'archivio per il medagliere mediceo', Appendix to J. G. Pollard, Italian Renaissance Medals in the Museo Nazionale of Bargello (Florence, 1984), pp. xlv-xlvii. As in the other two MSS., the text of the present MS. is divided into sections according to the size and material of coins and medals described. Within each section the items are ordered under the name of the historical, mythological or symbolic character they represent. Sections are divided as follows: - (a) ff. 1-8, 'Numismata Maxime Magnitudinis', inc. 'Vulgo Medaglioni / Caput bifrons'; - (b) ff. 10-54v, 'Numismata Prime Magnitudinis', inc. 'Urbs Roma / Caput Rome galeatum'; - (c) ff. 55-89, 'Numismata Mediocris Magnitudinis', inc. 'Roma / fig. Armata et galeata stans cum hasta'; - (d) ff. 90-117v, 'Numismata Argentea Imperatorum', inc. 'Pompeius / cap. Pompeii cum Urciolo, et lituo'; - (e) ff. 118-123, 'Numismata Argentea Regum, et diversas Urbium', inc. 'Reges / Caput Alexandri Magni cum pelle leonis'; - (f) ff. 124-132v, 'Aerea Numismata Regum, et diversarum Urbium', inc. 'Dii et Heroes / Zeus Kasios, Iuppiter sedens'; - (g) ff. 133-135v, 'Numismata famili Romanarum, prout in Fulvio Ursino disponuntur', inc. 'Aburia 1'; - (h) ff. 136-181, 'Nummi primae magnitudinis aerei', inc. '1. Caput Sarapidis. Divo Sarapidi incisum'; - (i) ff. 181v-186, 'Nummi Maximae Magnitudinis vulgo Medaglioni', inc. 'Cap. Romae galeatae sine litteris'; - (j) ff. 186v-187, 'Nummi aeenei maximi, vulgo', inc. 'Medaglioni Crotoniati'; - (k) ff. 187v-189, 'Nummi aenei Regum, et diversarum', inc. 'Achilles'; - (l) ff. 189-196v, 'Nummi aenei parvi Romani, et graeci atqui Coloniarum', inc. 'Cap. galeatum Lepidi'; - (m) f. 197, 'Inscriptiones nummorum coloniarum', inc. 'Cap. galeatum C. Inicom'; - (n) ff. 197v-198, 'Nummi consulares aerei', inc. 'C. A. Asinius / Corona'; 'Nummi Aenei, qui Tiberii Spinthiae vocantur'; 'Nummi aerei cum cap. Augusti'; - (o) ff. 198-212v, 'Nummi argentiei Imperatorum 966', inc. 'Caesar / fig. stans'; - (p) ff. 212v-215, 'Nummi argentei regum, et diversarium urbium', inc. 'Caput Diana'; - (q) ff. 215-218, 'Nummi Dyrrachiorum, cum inscriptionibus diversis ponantur in fine', inc. 'al. C. in corona'; - (r) ff. 218-220, 'Nummi Consulares, prout in Fulvio Ursino ordinati', inc. 'Aburia 1 et 3 nummus'. Stamp (f. 1) 'biblioth / h.f. / J770', probably from the Biblioteca Falconieri (possibly identifiable with one of the Falconieri MSS. listed in Guilford's catalogue Add. 8220 on f. 17 as nos. 66, 67 and 69). Owned by Frederick North, 5th Earl of Guilford, but lacking his armorial bookplate. '265' in pencil in top left corner of f. 1. Purchased, together with Add. 8730, 8792, 8793, 8795, 8796, 8797, and 8798, from R. H. Evans, 8 Dec. 1830, lot 265 (part).

Paper; ff. 220+i, plus one unfoliated interleaved blank after ff. 8, 54, 89, six after f. 123, two after f. 132, and three after f. 135. Separate old pagination in ink for different sections of text as follows: '1-15' (ff. 1-8), '1-90' (ff. 10-54v), '1-69' (ff. 55-89), '1-56' (ff. 90-117v), '1-8' (ff. 124-127v), '1-168' (ff. 136-219v). 279 x 200mm. Several Italian hands. Guilford binding of quarter vellum with decorated paper covers on pasteboards.