Diogenes Laertius — 15th century, dated 18 June 1452; Italian, Urbino
MS. Bywater 2
Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford
Description
From Medieval manuscripts in Oxford libraries
This is an extract only. For more information, see the catalogue record in Medieval manuscripts in Oxford libraries.
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Title
Diogenes Laertius — 15th century, dated 18 June 1452; Italian, Urbino
Shelfmark
MS. Bywater 2
Place of origin
Italian, Urbino
Date
15th century, dated 18 June 1452
Language
Latin
Contents
Form
codex
Support
Paper; watermark three mountains (cf. Briquet 11696).
Physical extent
i + 232 + i
Hands
Written in a capable humanistic semi-cursive hand
Decoration
Headings in red.
One three-line gold initial (fol. 2r); the rest two-line, plain red or with very simple ornament. A coat of arms (fol. 2r; see under Provenance).
Binding
Sewn on five cords and bound in 18th/19th-century pale brown sheep(?)-skin over pasteboards, the covers and spine blind-tooled with foliate and other repeat patterns; somewhat worn.
Acquisition
Bequeathed to the Bodleian in 1915; the upper pastedown and fol. 2r inscribed with the Bywater Elenchus no.: 'By. 1075', the current shelfmark, and a former Bodleain shelfmark, now obsolete: 'Byw. D.2.10'; catalogued after accession and allocated the Summary Catalogue no. 40034, also now obsolete.
Provenance
Scribal colophon 'Scriptum in Vrbino Anno domini Mileximo cccco Liio | Mensis Iunij die xviiiio. RAI. RAM.' (fol. 233r; 'RAI RAM' written like two separate abbreviated words, but possibly 'Maria R', backwards??); apparently made for a member of the Guidetti of Florence family, with their arms in the lower margin of fol. 2r: paly azure and argent, differenced with a label of three points in chief.
Inscribed, 19th(?) century '300' in the top right corner of the lower pastedown, perhaps a price.
Walter Sneyd: bought in Florence in 1832, according to a twenty-line note on fol. 1v, signed 'WS' in monogram; with his circular armorial bookplate on the upper pastedown, sold at Sotheby's, 17 December 1903, and three following days, lot 253, bought by Leighton for £2 15s, apparently on behalf of Bywater: a cutting from the sale catalogue is pasted to the upper pastedown, inscribed by Bywater 'Sneyd sale | S[otheby]W[ilkinson &]H[odge] 12/'03 | £2.15.0'.
Ingram Bywater
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