Add MS 8795

CATALOGUE OF THE NUMISMATIC AND ART COLLECTIONS OF THE MEDICI, GRAND DUKES OF TUSCANY; early 17th cent. Italian, Latin, and Greek. Copy, late 17th cent. A detailed catalogue of the Medici collections of coins, medals, cameos, bronzes, and marble sculptures. Among other treasures the catalogue includes: - (1) f. 191, cameo with a portrait of Cosimo I de' Medici, his wife Eleonora di Toledo and their children made by Giovanni Antonio de' Rossi (now in Florence, Museo degli Argenti), mentioned by G. Vasari in his 1568 edition of Le vite de' più eccellenti pittori scultori e architettori, p. iii, vol. i (Florence: Giunti, 1568), p. 292, B.L. copy 137.d.15; - (2) f. 192v, cameo in various semi-precious stones representing the head of young Cosimo II de' Medici, Grand Duke between 1609-1621 (now Florence, Museo degli Argenti); - (3) f. 219, no. 85, Hellenistic bronze statue of Athena (now Florence, Museo Archeologico); - (4) f. 227v, no. 291, Etruscan bronze sculpture of a Chimera datable 5th cent. BC. (now Florence, Museo Archeologico); - (5) f. 235, no. 80, bust of Michelangelo Buonarroti by Daniele da Volterra, 1564-1570 (now Florence, Casa Buonarroti); - (6) f. 236, no. 1, Hercules with Centaur by Giambologna, 1599 (now Florence, Loggia della Signoria); - (7) f. 240, no. 3, David by Donatello (now Florence, Loggia della Signoria); - (8) f. 240, no. 1bis, bust of Costanza Buonarelli by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, 1635 (now Florence, Museo Nazionale del Bargello). Other two catalogues of the Medici numismatic collection in Add. 8794 and 8795, the first with very similar lay-out to the present MS. 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. The text is divided into sections according to the nature, size and material of the items described. Sections are divided as follows: - (a) ff. 1-8, 'Numismata Maximae Magnitudinis', inc. 'Vulgo Medaglioni / Caput pileatum sine litteris'; - (b) ff. 18-22, 'Numismata aenea maxima vulgo dicta Crotoniati', inc. 'ΟΜΗΡΟΣ Caput senile'; - (c) ff. 23-62, 'Numismata Imperatoria Primae Magnitudinis', inc. 'S. Caput senile'; - (d) ff. 63-101, 'Numismata Imperatoria mediocris Magnitudinis', inc. 'Cap. Romae galeatum cum hac nota .o.'; - (e) ff. 102-110v, 'Numismata aerea Romana parva', inc. 'Cap. Mercurii'; - (f) ff. 111-120v, 'Numismata Argentea, Vulgo Medaglioni Regum, et diversarum Urbium', inc. 'Urbes / Africana. Cap. spicatum Cereris'; - (g) ff. 121-140v, ' Numismata Aurea diversae Magnitudinis, quae in Museo Serenissimi Magni Ducis Etruriae reperiuntur', inc. 'Cap. sine litteris galeatum Palladis vel forte Alexandri'; - (h) ff. 141-165, 'Numismata Argentea Imperatorum Romanorum', inc. 'Cap. bifrons laureatum'; - (i) ff. 166-167v, 'Nummi Argentei Familiarum Romanorum prout in Fulvio Ursino disponuntur', inc. 'Aburia 2.3' ; - (j) ff. 168-168v, 'Nummi Familiarum Romanorum Aerei Primae Magnitudinis prout in Ursino, et Patino disponuntur', inc. 'Afrania 3 in Ursino', followed by description of coins of medium and small size; - (k) ff. 169-169v, 'Numismata Peregrina', inc. 'Samaritana / Palma 10 – Fig. sedens in quadrato'; - (l) f. 170, 'Medaglie di Sicilia secondo il Paruta', inc. 'Di Palermo n^o. 15 certe'; - (m) ff. 171-184, 'Numismata enea Deorum, Heroum, Regum, et diversarum Urbium Primae Magnitudinis', inc. 'Cap. Iovis laureatum et barbatus'; - (n) ff. 185-190, 'Numismata Argentea variae magnitudinis Regum externorum', inc. 'Cap. Alexandri magni coopertum pelle leonina sine literis'; - (o) ff. 191-200v, 'Indice di Cammei moderni, et antichi, cominciando dai più grandi, e seguitando sino ai più piccoli, e prima dei Moderni Grandi', inc. 'Il ritratto di Cosmo I Medici, meza figura con un altro ritratto di Donna Eleonora di Toledo'; - (p) ff. 201-205v, 'Intagli Moderni', inc. 'Grandi / Una mezza figura di Pallade. In agata sardonica'; - (q) ff. 206-215v, 'Intagli Antichi', inc. 'Grandi / Testa diademata. In Calcidonia, zaffirino, integrata d'oro'; - (r) ff. 216-231v, 'Indice dei Metalli antichi', inc. 'Statua grande del naturale togata in atto di orare con lettere credute etrusche nel lembo della tonica'; - (s) ff. 232-235, 'Indice di Metalli moderni', inc. 'Putto nudo con Capricorno e palla in mano'; - (t) ff. 236-239, 'Indice dei Marmi Antichi, e Moderni', inc. 'Statue / Ercole con centauro'; - (u) ff. 240-240v, 'Marmi moderni', inc. 'Statue / 1. Bacco del Bandinelli - Teste / 1. Di Donna. Bernino'; - (v) ff. 241-246, copies of 28 inscriptions in Latin, inc. 'i / Iuliae Domnae Augustae'. Stamp (f. i) 'biblioth / h.f. / J770', probably from the Biblioteca Falconieri (probably identifiable with one of the Falconieri MSS. listed in Guilford's catalogue Add. 8220 on f. 17, no. 66). Owned by Frederick North, 5th Earl of Guilford, but lacking his armorial bookplate. '265' in pencil in top of f. i. Purchased, together with Add. 8730, 8792, 8793, 8794, 8796, 8797, and 8798, from R. H. Evans, 8 Dec. 1830, lot 265 (part).

Paper; ff. 246+v, plus three unfoliated interleaved blanks after ff. 17, 170, one after ff. 22, 101, 110, 165, 215, two after ff. 167, 184, 231, 235, and five after f. 240. Separate old paginations in ink for different sections of text as follows: '1-33' (ff. 1-17), '1-9' (ff. 18-22), '1-79' (ff. 23-62), '1-77' (ff. 63-101), '1-18' (ff. 102-110v), '1-20' (ff. 111-120v), '1-40' (ff. 121-140v), '1-49' (ff. 141-165), '1-4' (ff. 166-167v), '1-27' (ff. 171-184), '1-11' (ff. 185-190), '1-49' (ff. 191-215), '1-32' (ff. 216-231v), '1-7' (ff. 232-235). 281 x 202mm. One Italian hand. Guilford binding of quarter vellum with decorated paper covers on pasteboards.