Add MS 38125

HUTH BEQUEST. Vol. XII. Poems, in Italian, by Petrarch, viz: 1. Sonetti 1-42 and Canzoni 1-12, agreeeing with pp. 1-85 of Le Rime di Francesco Petrarca, ed. G. Mestica, 1896, except that Sonetti 2 and 3 are transposed, as in the Laurentian MS. pl. xli, n. 17. The first four lines of Son. 1 are omitted, except for the illuminated initial (doubtless intended to have been written in gold, cf. art. 2) ; and so are the initials of all the other poems. f. 3.

2. Trionfi, viz. Trionfo d'Amore, f. 34; della Pudicizia, f. 50b; della Morte, f . 56 ; della Fama, f . 6 3 b ; del Tempo, f . 77 b ; dell' Eternità, f. 81 b. Agreeing with Mestica's edition, as above, pp. 522-660, with the following exceptions:In the Trionfo d'Amore the last sixteen lines of Canto 3 (f. 45 b) are as in the footnote on p. 559. In the Trionfo della Morte the last line is omitted. In the Trionfo della Fama Canto 1 (ff. 63 b-67) agrees with the version printed by Mestica in an appendix (pp. 670-674) ; Canto 2 (ff. 68-70 b) agrees with Mestica's Canto 1 (pp. 605-614), except the opening 24 lines (printed by Mestica, pp. 604-605, footnote); Canto 3 (ff. 70 b-74) = Mestica's Canto 2 (pp. 614-623) ; Canto 4 (ff. 74-76 b) = Mestica's Canto 3 (pp. 625-632). The first three lines of Trionfo d'Amore in gold capitals; the first three lines of the other Trionfi, and cantoinitials throughout, are omitted (cf. art. 1). Ff. 44 b and 54b have been left blank, but the text runs on in each case without a lacuna. Ff. 85 and 86 have been misplaced in binding; they should follow f. 57. Vellum; ff. 88 (ff. 2, 87, 88 blank). 7 3/4 in. x 5 in. Late xv cont. Gatherings of 10 leaves (quire i has 2 leaves, quire v has 11, and quire x has 5 besides the two which belong to quire vii). Neatly written in minuscules of the Italian Renaissance type known as "scrittura umanistica," and decorated by illuminators of the Milanese school with three full-page miniatures, one nearly full-page, and one small one, and with initials and full borders on seven pages (ff. 3, 34, 50 b, 56, 63 b, 77 b, 81 b). The borders especially, filled with putti, cornucopiae, and other Renaissance ornaments on blue, dark green, and crimaon grounds, recall the decorations of the Sforza Book of Hours (Add. MS. 34294, executed for the Duchess Bona about 1490) and clearly emanate from the same school. For ff. 33 b, 34, see Cat. of Huth Bequest, pl. 12. Apparently executed for a member of the Romei family of Ferrara (created Counts of Bergantino in 1462, see L. Ughi, Dizion. degli uomini illustri Ferraresi, ii, 1804, p. 137), one of the borders (f. 34) having a shield of arms, per fess, azure and argent, a greyhound salient counterchanged collared gules; but the collar is omitted in the Romei arms as given by A. Libanori, Ferrara d'Oro, iii, 1674, pp. 34, 274. In Italian binding, 17-18th cent., of red morocco elaborately tooled in gilt, with a fan-pattern centre and corner-pieces. Huth bookplate. The Huth Library, iv, p. 1132; Burlington Fine Arts Club, Cat. of Illum. MSS., no. 193, pl. 127.

Poetry: Petrarch, Sonetti, Canzoni, and Trionfi: 15th cent.

Francesco Petrarca, poet: Sonetti, Canzoni and Trionfi: 15th cent.

Bindings ITALIAN: Red morocco, tooled: 17th-18th cent.

Art. Illuminations and Drawings ITALIAN: Petrarch : finely executed miniatures, initials, borders, Milanese style: late 15th cent.

includes:

• f. 34 Romei, of Ferrara, Counts of Bergantino 1462: Arms: 15th cent.