Miscellany on Saint John Climacus

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Accession number:

MS M.496

Title:

Miscellany on Saint John Climacus

Created:

Florence, Italy, Dec. 4, 1488.

Binding:

Formerly Italian, 18th-century vellum over light boards; rebound by Deborah Evetts, in brown slip case.

Credit:

Purchased by J. Pierpont Morgan (1837-1913) in 1912.

Description:

225 leaves (1 column, 32 lines), bound : vellum, ill. ; 345 x 230 mm

Provenance:

Written and illuminated for Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary; manuscript returned to Italy with Beatrice of Aragon after the death of Corvinus; in the collection of Giovan Francesco De Rossi (Giovanni Francesco Rossi) and Luisa Carlotta di Borbone (daughter of Lodovico, Duke of Parma), his wife; the Jesuit College at Wien-Lainz; Voynich, Florence; Tammaro De Marinis, Florence (catalogue 12, 1913, no. 15 and plate; listed as sold); purchased by J. Pierpont Morgan (1837-1913) from Alexandre Imbert in 1912; J.P. Morgan (1867-1943).

Notes:

Ms. miscellany of patristic texts; written and illuminated in Florence, Italy, and dated Dec. 4, 1488.
Texts: Didymus Alexandrinus (Didymus the Blind), De Spiritu Sancto (fol. 2-37v); Paschasius diaconus, De Spiritu Sancto (fol. 38-62v); Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Epistolae (fol. 63-87v); Saint Proclus, Laudatio in sanctissimam Dei gentricem Mariam (fol. 88-91v); Daniel monacus (Daniel, monk of Raithou), Vitae sancti Joannis Climaci (fol. 93-96v); Joannes, abbas Raithensis (John, Hegumenos of Raithou), Epistola ad sanctum Joannem Climacum (fol. 96v-97); and Joannes Climacus (Saint John Climacus), Epistola ad Joannem abbatem Raithensis (fol. 97-98) and Scala paradisi (fol. 98-224v); colophon (224v); list of rubrics (fol. 225-225v).
Scribe: Sigismondo de'Sigismondi, who has signed and dated the colophon on fol. 224v.
Decoration: 1 full-page historiated frontispiece, 1 circular table of contents with emblems of Matthias Corvinus, 1 historiated initial, and 4 large illuminated initals with borders.
Artist: attributed to Monte di Giovanni di Miniato.

Script:

Roman letters and humanistic script

Language:

Latin

Resources:

Description/Bibliography

Genres:

Dated manuscripts

Hagiographies

Illuminated manuscripts

Historiated initials

Illuminated initials (layout features)