Aelian — c. 1455; Italian, Naples

Title

Aelian — c. 1455; Italian, Naples

Shelfmark

MS. Lat. class. d. 38

Place of origin

Italian, Naples

Date

c. 1455

Language

Latin

Contents

Form

codex

Support

parchment

Physical extent

i (?post-medieval parchment) + 69 leaves

Hands

Expert humanistic script

Decoration

Illuminated initial and border decorated with putti, birds and rabbits (fol.1), two other large illuminated initials (fols. 6v and 8v) and smaller ones at the beginning of each chapter

fol. 1r: full border, interlaced stems with folliage and flowers, putti, birds and rabbits. At the bottom of the page three winged putti support a wreath with arms of Alfonso V of Aragon, I of Naples.

Binding

Plain parchment cased-binding; the spine inscribed 'Ælian | de | instr. | acieb. | XV | *"; in a fitted box.

Acquisition

Bought, 1955

Provenance

Arms of King Alfonso V of Aragon, I of Naples (fol. 1: gules three pallets, or surmounted by a crown), inventory 'D' of the Naples library, no. L. 560

Library of the Jesuit Collegium Romanum (suppressed 1870–1873); removed from the library during the suppression by the Society of Jesus (catalogue card Beinecke Library, MS 408, box B1).

W. M. Voynich, London bookdealer, acquired in Rome from the Society of Jesus.

T. de Marinis, Catalogue XII (Florence 1913), no. 2, with pl.; apparently acquired from Voynich.

Sold by Mensing et Fils, 'Collection d'un amateur Suisse', Amsterdam, 22 Nov. 1929, lot 27; and 'Collections Arnold Mettler St. Gall', Amsterdam, 5 April 1935, lot 22.

Cf. T. de Marinis, La biblioteca Napoletana dei re d'Aragona, Milan 1952, II, 3 (wrongly giving Henry Stuart, Cardinal of York (d. 1807) as a previous owner).