Early Renaissance commentary on most of the Rhetorica ad Herennium, the earliest comprehensive Latin treatise on rhetoric, attributed to Cicero throughout the Middle Ages. Frequent notes appear in the margins, including the names of the figures of diction in Book 4 (f. 43r-48v). Some leaves are palimpsests, written on parchment previously used for Italian legal documents (some previous text faintly visible perpendicular to the later text, f. 11v, 14r, 28r, 34v, 39r, 51v). One gathering, with text from the end of Book 3 and the beginning of Book 4, is missing between the fourth and last gatherings.
Support: parchment; Extent: 52 leaves : 278-289 x 205 (223-235 x 157-167) mm. bound to 295 x 213 mm; Foliation: Parchment, ii (modern paper) + i (14th-century parchment) + 52 + i (14th-century parchment) + ii (modern paper); 1¹² 2¹⁰ 3¹² 4⁸ 5¹⁰; 1-52, early modern foliation in ink, upper right recto. Gatherings signed 1-4, 6, in roman numerals, upper center first recto (f. 1r, 13r, 23r, 35r, 43r); contemporary gathering (letter) and leaf (arabic numeral) signatures faintly visible on many leaves, lower right recto. Horizontal catchwords on first 2 gatherings, lower center last verso (f. 12v, 22v).
Written in 2 columns of 58 to 71 lines; frame-ruled in lead.
Written in Gothic script by at least 2 hands, one that of Monterillus Perutii (Peruzzi?; colophon, f. 34v; new hand begins, f. 35r), with marginal notes in additional hands.
14-line initial in red ink, with red infill and black penwork (f. 1r); 2-line initials, underlining of lemmata, and paragraph marks in red throughout; some initials in marginal notes touched with red; occasional manicules (for example, f. 1r, 1v, 5v).
For a full list of Decorations in this manuscript please see the Content and Decorations section by clicking on the [i] button in the top left corner of the image viewer above.
Ms. codex.
Title from inscription added in lower margin of first page in an early modern hand (f. 1r); commentary also known as Plena et perfecta, from its incipit (f. 1r).
Incipit: Plena et perfecta locutio triplici comparatur adminiculo (f. 1r); explicit: ... dudum ipse et hospites sui sederent (f. 52v).
Italy
Written in northern Italy, perhaps Venice or Bologna (Les Enluminures), in 1342 (colophon, f. 34v).
19th-century limp parchment (Les Enluminures); the parchment flyleaves are probably from the original binding.
Latin
Possible ownership inscription: Bertholinus, written by a 14th- or 15th-century hand on the possible original binding (parchment flyleaf following text, verso).
Formerly owned by the Dominican convent of San Giovanni e Paolo, Venice (note dated 1876, first flyleaf).
Sold by the Dominican convent of San Giovanni e Paolo to Baron Charles Alexander de Cosson (1846-1929) in 1876 (armorial bookplate inside upper cover; note on first flyleaf); later owned by his son, Baron Claude Augustin de Cosson.
Sold at auction as property of the late C. A. de Cosson at Sotheby's, 27 Mar. 1950, lot 30, to William A. Foyle (catalog description, first flyleaf).
Formerly owned by William A. Foyle (Beeleigh Abbey, Essex; leather bookplate inside upper cover).
Sold at auction as part of Foyle's collection at Christie's, 11 July 2000, lot 78.
Sold by Les Enluminures (Paris and Chicago), 2012.
Italy
Written in northern Italy, perhaps Venice or Bologna (Les Enluminures), in 1342 (colophon, f. 34v).
Latin
Possible ownership inscription: Bertholinus, written by a 14th- or 15th-century hand on the possible original binding
Formerly owned by the Dominican convent of San Giovanni e Paolo, Venice
Sold by the Dominican convent of San Giovanni e Paolo to Baron Charles Alexander de Cosson
Sold at auction as property of the late C. A. de Cosson at Sotheby's, 27 Mar. 1950, lot 30, to William A. Foyle
Formerly owned by William A. Foyle
Sold at auction as part of Foyle's collection at Christie's, 11 July 2000, lot 78.
Sold by Les Enluminures
Early Renaissance commentary on most of the Rhetorica ad Herennium, the earliest comprehensive Latin treatise on rhetoric, attributed to Cicero throughout the Middle Ages. Frequent notes appear in the margins, including the names of the figures of diction in Book 4 (f. 43r-48v). Some leaves are palimpsests, written on parchment previously used for Italian legal documents (some previous text faintly visible perpendicular to the later text, f. 11v, 14r, 28r, 34v, 39r, 51v). One gathering, with text from the end of Book 3 and the beginning of Book 4, is missing between the fourth and last gatherings.
Ms. codex.
Title from inscription added in lower margin of first page in an early modern hand (f. 1r); commentary also known as Plena et perfecta, from its incipit (f. 1r).
Incipit: Plena et perfecta locutio triplici comparatur adminiculo (f. 1r); explicit: ... dudum ipse et hospites sui sederent (f. 52v).
Written in Gothic script by at least 2 hands, one that of Monterillus Perutii (Peruzzi?; colophon, f. 34v; new hand begins, f. 35r), with marginal notes in additional hands.
14-line initial in red ink, with red infill and black penwork (f. 1r); 2-line initials, underlining of lemmata, and paragraph marks in red throughout; some initials in marginal notes touched with red; occasional manicules (for example, f. 1r, 1v, 5v).
For a full list of Decorations in this manuscript please see the Content and Decorations section by clicking on the [i] button in the top left corner of the image viewer above.
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