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Burney MS 153

Record Id:

040-002237034

Hierarchy Root Ancestor Record Id:

032-002236305

MDARK:

ark:/81055/vdc_100000001311.0x0000c9

LARK:

SLARK:

Format:

ISAD(G)

Reference (shelfmark):

Burney MS 153

Title:

Cicero, De Finibus; Tusculanae Disputationes

Scope & Content:

Cicero, De Finibus (ff. 1r-94r); Tusculanae Disputationes (ff. 95r-190v).

Decoration:

Decorated with seven- or eight-line foliate initials on a gold ground with foliate marginal extensions at the start of each book (ff. 1r, 15v, 40v, 56v, 72v, 95r, 119v, 133r, 150v, 168r), and a border of similar ornament enclosing an escutcheon with the Gonzaga arms as they were between 1433 and 1510: argent a cross gules between four eagles displayed sable, on an escutcheon over all quarterly first and fourth gules a lion tail forked argent, second and third a barry of six or and sable (f. 1r, lower margin; cf. Burney MSS 154 and 159; cf. Alexander 1994, pl. 22).

Capitals touched with yellow, headings in dark red.

The initial in each of the two texts are in slightly different styles.

Collection Area:

Western Manuscripts

Project / Collection:

Burney Manuscripts

Hierarchy Record Ids:

032-002236305
040-002237034

Is part of:

Burney MS : Burney Manuscripts

Burney MS 153 : Cicero, De Finibus; Tusculanae Disputationes

Hierarchy:

032-002236305[0148]/040-002237034

Container:

View / search within Archive / Collection: Burney MS

Record Type (Level):

File

Extent:

Parchment codex

Digitised Content:

Languages:

Latin

Scripts:

Latin

Start Date:

1425

End Date:

1449

Date Range:

2nd quarter of the 15th century

Era:

Access:

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User Conditions:

Letter of introduction required to view this manuscript

Physical Characteristics:

Material: Parchment.

Dimensions: 245 x 165 mm (text space 145 x 80 mm), in 28 lines. Ruled in brown leadpoint.

Foliation: ff. iii + 193 + 94*, 94** (ff. i-iii and 191-193 are paper and parchment flyleaves). Burney pagination 1-384.

Collation: i-xii⁸ (ff. 1-94**), xiii-xxiv⁸ (ff. 95-190).

Script: Written ‘below top line’ in semi-humanistic script (similar to that of Burney MS 159, which also has the Gonzaga arms).

Binding: Post-1600. 18th-century Askew binding of diced polished calf, with a gilt panel framed by the usual ‘palmette and fleur-de-lis’ roll on each cover (cf. Burney MS 154, etc.), the edges of the leaves gilt; rebacked.

Custodial History:

Origin: Italy, N. E. (Veneto).

Provenance:

Owned by a member of the Gonzaga family, with their arms (f. 1r); Meroni lists this as one of the manuscripts that probably came to the library between 1400 and 1444.

Annotated very sporadically by two neat humanistic hands.

? Bartolomeo Marasca, master of the household (between 1462 and 1469) of Cardinal Francesco Gonzaga (b. 1444, d. 1483): inscribed 'YHC bartholomeus marascha' (f. 57r, upper margin).

Anthony Askew (bap. 1722, d. 1774), physician and book collector: bound for him; his sale at Leigh and Sotheby, 7 March 1785, lot 448, bought by Burrell for £3 15s.

Sir William Burrell (b. 1732, d. 1796) 2nd baronet, antiquary: his sale, 2 May 1796, lot 440, sold for £1 8s.

Charles Burney (b. 1757, d. 1817), D.D., classical scholar.

Acquired by the British Museum as part of Burney’s library from his son Charles Parr Burney in 1818.

Administrative Context:

Italy, N. E. (Veneto).

Information About Copies:

Select digital coverage available for this manuscript; see the Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts, [http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/record.asp?MSID=1444&CollID=18&NStart=153].

Publications:

Catalogue of Manuscripts in The British Museum, New Series, 1 vol. in 2 parts (London: British Museum, 1834-1840), I, part II: The Burney Manuscripts (1840), p. 51.

Mostra dei codici gonzagheschi: La biblioteca dei Gonzaga da Luigi I ad Isabella. Biblioteca comunale 18 Settembre - 10 Ottobre, ed. by Ubaldo Meroni (Mantua:[Cuneo], 1966), p. 37 no. 3, p. 52 no. 18, and pl. 94.

The Painted Page: Italian Renaissance Book Illumination 1450-1550, ed. by Jonathan J. G. Alexander (London: Prestel, 1994), pl. 22.

Material Type:

Archives and Manuscripts

Legal Status:

Not Public Record(s)

Names:

Askew, Anthony, physician and book collector, 1722-1774,
   see also http://isni.org/isni/0000000061332085,
   see also http://viaf.org/viaf/60017882
Burrell, William, 2nd Baronet, antiquary, 1732-1796
Gonzaga, Family, 1328-1708
Marasca, Bartolomeo, master of Cardinal Gonzaga's household, fl 1462-1469
Tullius Cicero, Marcus, 106 BC-43 BC,
   see also http://isni.org/isni/0000000139322910,
   see also http://viaf.org/viaf/78769600