Bartolomeo Facio, De vitae felicitate dialogus

Italy, 15th century

i, 76, i' leaves

150–155 × 110 mm

Latin

1 (ff. 1r–4r) Bartolomeo Facio, Prologue to the dialogue

Rubric: Ad Alfonsvm Regem gloriosissimum Bartholomaei Facii in dialogvm de vitae felicitate proemium incipit feliciter

Incipit: HUMANAE VITAE conditionem sepius Reputanti mihi Rex sapientissime illud maxime mirandum uideri solet

Explicit: Quem si maiestatis tue grauissimo iudicio probari sensero gaudebo Neque amplissimum Laboris mei fructum maximumque a te minus consecutum existimabo

2 (ff. 4r–76v) Bartolomeo Facio, De humanae vitae felicitate dialogus

Rubric: INCIPIT DIALOGVS

Incipit: CVM ANTONIVS panormita clarus et singularis poeta iureque consultus ferariam sese alii contulisset

Explicit: et Guarino preceptori nostro ostendas quorum alterius gratia parte inire alterius augere si modo possim uehementer cupio Vale

Note: f. 76v: blank

Edition: Facio (1611), pp. 106–147.

Physical Description

Secundo folio

Nec uero me

Support

Binding/Endleaves

Locus: ff. LCI, L1r–L1v, SR1r–SR1v, RCI

Support: Parchment

Leaf dimensions: 150 × 110 mm

Textblock

Locus: ff. 1r–76v

Support: Parchment

Leaf dimensions: 155 × 110 mm

Foliation

Foliated in pencil by a modern hand.

Collation

Binding/Endleaves

Formula: 1-9(8), 10(4)

Note: VisColl collation

Textblock

Signatures: Quire signature (1-10) in pencil by a modern hand in inner margin.

Condition

Textblock

ff. 51r–76v: signs of what looks like liquid spill in the bottom margin. Does not affect the text.

Layout

Locus: ff. 1r–76v

Columns: 1

Ruled lines: 18

Written area: 110 × 70 mm

Note: Ruling in light brown ink, only visible on some pages.

Script

Textblock

Hand 1

humanist minuscule

Additions

Binding/Endleaves

(LCI) 13 lines written in pencil in Swedish by a modern hand.

(f. L1r) 13 lines written in pen in Swedish and signed Per Hierta

Textblock

(f. 1r) Above ‘Regem’ in the rubric a contemporary hand has added ‘neapolitam’ in brown ink.

(f. 1r) Bottom margin, in brown ink by a modern hand: ‘Ex Bibliotheca Antonini de Amico Regii Historiographi et Canonici Parnormitani’

Decorations

Textblock

Description:

Rubrics in red. Names of the speakers in the dialogue written in capitals in red and brown ink.

Initials:

(f. 1r): elaborate white vine-stem inital H over 4 lines in gold inhabited by a painted putto. Part of the vegetative ornament extends along the entire inner margin. Main colours: blue, green, and pink. (f. 4r): elaborate white vine-stem inital C over 3 lines in gold with ornamentation in blue, pink, and green. (ff. 1–76): Capitals sometimes hanging in the outer margin.

Edges:

coloured red.

Binding

Description:

The manuscript has been rebound at some point, but a rectangle (125x75 mm) of the original cover has been preserved as a centrepiece in the new binding. The newer binding is in brown leather with tooled decoration, four raised bands on the spine, and two pairs of straps made of cloth to keep the book closed. The original binding is in dark brown leather with tooled decoration, gilded vegetative ornaments (acanthus?), and in the centre surrounded by vegetative ornaments a gilded coat of arms. Coat of arms: a combination of the Crown of Aragon and the Duchy of Calabria.

The previous owner, Per Hierta, argues in a note on f. L1r that the gold tooled decoration on the original cover is the oldest known example of this technique known to him.

Binding dimensions: 165 × 125 × 20 mm

History

Origin

15th century Italy. The coat of arms found on the remains of the original cover may point to an owner from the neapolitan royal family, cf. Marinis (1952–1957), vol. 2, p. 71.

Provenance

The manuscript appears to have remained in Italy until the 17th century. The owner signature on f. 1r probably points to Antonino Amico (1586-1641), canon and historian in Palermo. The manuscripts later fate is unknow, but at some point it was acquired by its last known owner, the book collector Per Hierta (1864-1924). His notes and signatures are found on ff. LCI–L1r.