Add MS 54245

MILLAR BEQUEST. Vol. XIX. St Antoninus of Florence, 'Interroghatorio', written in Italy, possibly Florence; third quarter of the 15th cent. Italian. One of the Confessionale composed by St Antoninus Forciglioni, Dominican Archbishop of Florence (d.1459; canonized 1523) to whom four confession manuals, one in Latin and the others in Italian, are ascribed. This volume contains the Italian translation of the Latin text (here entitled 'Interroghatorio' in the colophon,

f. 174v). The reference to Antoninus as 'Reverendo Huomo Messer Antonio . . . per Divina Clementia Archiepiscopo Fiorentino' (f. 6) might imply that he was still alive at the time of copying. Bodleian Library, Rawl. C. 988 is by the same scribe. See Turner, op. cit., BMQ, xxxiii, pp. 35-36, pl. XV; illustrated in Graily Hewitt, Handwriting, Everyman's Craft (1938), p. 76. Erased ownership inscription and 'N. 6' (f. 1). Owned by George John Venables-Vernon, 5th Baron Vernon (d.1866) of Sudbury Hall, co. Derby (bookplate, f. i). Sold with the Sudbury Library at Sotheby's, 10 June 1918, lot 18: purchased by C. H. St John Hornby (ex libris, f. i) who gave it to Graily Hewitt on 26 March 1935 (see inscription, f. ii and letter from Hornby to Hewitt, 1935, f. iii). Bequeathed by Hewitt to Millar (ex libris, f. i; inscription, f. ii), who received it on 31 March 1953.

Vellum; ff. iii+183. 240 x 155mm. Modern vellum fly-leaves. Gatherings (19) of 10, except i6 (lacks 1, blank), xix8. Pricked and ruled (single bounding lines) in hard-point for single columns of 25 lines. Written space 155 x 87mm. Script is a humanistic cursive book script, with rubrics and continuation lettering in rustic capitals (the latter alternating red and ink). Contemporary pagination in red Roman numerals at top right, from f. 6. Vertical catchwords. Binding of green velvet over boards. Gilt edges.

Decoration consists of a 7-line major initial D (f. 6) in gold with white vine-stem ornament and blue red and green ground, and a drawn unfinished partial border of white vine-stem. 3 to 4-line minor gilded initials on panels of blue, pink or green, or colour-combinations, with over-painted rinceaux in white and yellow.

Art. Illuminations and Drawings ITALIAN: Initials and borders: third quarter of 15th cent.

Confession: Saint Antoninus,; Archbishop of Florence: 'Interroghatorio', from the 'Confessionale' of St Antoninus: third quarter of 15th cent.: Ital.