Flavius Philostratus, Heroicus.

Title

Flavius Philostratus, Heroicus.

Shelfmark

MS. Holkham Gr. 103

Place of origin

Italy, Padua

Date

c. 1460–1470

Language

Ancient Greek (to 1453)

Contents

Form

codex

Support

Paper. Watermarks: i) fols 1–94 and 116: crossed arrows, cf Briquet ‘Deux flèches en sautoir’ 6269 (Venice 1454) and Briquet ‘Deux flèches en sautoir’ 6271 (Venice 1462), as in MS. Holkham Gr. 84 (same scribe in both), ii) fols 107–109: a mount in circle with cross above, trimontium, cf. Briquet ‘Monts | style général (trois monts s'élévant au dessus d'une ligne horizontale...)’ 11878 (Tyrol 1444), iii) fols 122–130, 132–134, 135: two types of griffin: fols 122–130, 135: cf. Briquet ‘Griffon | entier’ 7464 (Udine 1461) and fols 132–134: Briquet ‘Griffon | entier’ 7465 (Florence 1464). See R. W. Hunt, ‘Pietro da Montagnana: a Donor of Books to san Giovanni di Verdara in Padua’, Bodleian Library Record 9 (1973) 22, fn. 1.

Hands

The same hand as that in MSS. Holkham Gr. 84, 90. It has been proposed that the scribe was an anonymous Cretan, responsible for many other mss. belonging to Pietro da Montagnana. Cf. Gamba, Pietro Da Montagnana: La Vita, Gli Studi, La Biblioteca Di Un Homo Trilinguis, PhD. thesis, 29 January 2016, pp. 247–255, 340–342. The MS was copied in Padua possibly ca. 1460–1470 by the anonymous Cretan scribe, who worked for Pietro da Montagnana. The codex was a copy of a 14th c. MS, which is now the second part of the composite MS Guelf. 82 Gud. G. As Gamba observes, it has to be pointed out that although Pietro had in his hands the 14th c. MS, he preferred to annotate the recent copy of the text (MS. Holkham Gr. 103). Examination also of the interlinear glosses reveals direct dependence on the Latin translation of Heroicus penned by John Argyropoulos while he was in Padua. This is now preserved in the MS. Marc. lat. XIV.54 (coll. 4328), fols 49r-66r. It is pretty sure that Pietro da Montagnana had direct access to this translation. The grammatical notes accompanying MS. Holkham Gr. 103 also testify to the fact that Pietro had at least adequate knowledge of Ancient Greek, for he provided his own translation whenever he had found Argyropoulos’ text to be less reliable. See Gamba, Pietro Da Montagnana: La Vita, Gli Studi, La Biblioteca Di Un Homo Trilinguis, pp. 146–150, esp. 148–149; E. Gamba, ‘Da S. Giovanni di Verdara a Wolfenbüttel: Riflessioni intorno alla biblioteca di Pietro da Montagnana e all’Euripide nel Cod. Guelf. 15 Gud. graec.’ in Retter der Antike Marquard Gude (1635 –1689) auf der Suche nach den Klassikern herausgegeben von Patrizia Carmassi, Wiesbaden, 2016, esp. pp. 88–103. Cf. also N. G. Wilson, ‘The Book Trade in Venice ca. 1400–1515’, in Venezia centro di mediazione tra Oriente e Occidente (secoli XV-XVI). Aspetti e problemi, eds H.-G. Beck et al., Florence, 1977, vol. II, pp. 381–397, esp. pp. 388–389. Wilson found Pietro’s notes of ‘extremely elementary character’.

Decoration

Decorative head-piece in red (fol. 1r); Also selective initials (fols 1r, 58v, 62r, 65v, 66v, 67v, 68v, 70r, 70v, 83r, 84v, 89v, 90r, 91v, 92v, 93v, 94v, 95r, 101r, 116v. Cruciform decoration in red at the end of the MS (fol. 135v). On the decoration as unifying element to distinguish works by the same scribe, see E. Gamba, ‘Da S. Giovanni di Verdara a Wolfenbüttel: Riflessioni intorno alla biblioteca di Pietro da Montagnana e all’Euripide nel Cod. Guelf. 15 Gud. graec.’, pp. 102–103.

Binding

Holkham binding of red leather, with Coke family ostrich crest in gilt in the centre of the upper cover; Date: early nineteenth century. Rebound by John Jones of Liverpool (worked for Holkham 1816–1823.The spine lettered in gilt: /PHILOSTRATI/ HEROICA/ GR.–//MS./ SÆC. XIII./; in pasted black leather: MS. /HOLKHAM/ Gr. 103/ Fore-edge pattern.

Provenance

Ownership Notes: paste down, upper, left side (in black ink): signature of Thomas William Coke. Latin notes passim, in hand of Pietro Floriani da Montagnana †1478. http://incunables.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/provenance/record/2498 This MS. alongside MSS. Holkham Gr. 84, 90, and BL Additional MS 47674 was bequeathed to the Monastery of San Giovanni di Verdara in Padua by Pietro da Montagana. The codex coincides with ‘Philostrati Heroica’ dx. pl. 18, in the inventory of 1599 (See S. Bernardinello, ‘La Consolatio Coisliniana di Boezio: le glosse e la biblioteca di Pietro da Montagnana’, Atti e Memorie dell’Academia Pataviana di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti Volume, 93 (1980–81) 42, no. 17), and with ‘Heroica Philostrati in 4. Donum M.P.’ (See J. P. Tomasini, Bibliothecae Patavinae manuscriptae publicae & privatae, quibus diversi Scriptores hactenus incogniti recensentur, ac illustrantur […], Utini, 1639, p. 22). See on BL Additional MS 47674, T. C. Skeat, 'Manuscripts and Printed Books from the Holkham Hall Library, part II: The Manuscripts', British Museum Quarterly 17 (1952) 25–33 (no. 8), R. W. Hunt, ‘Pietro da Montagnana: a Donor of Books to san Giovanni di Verdara in Padua’, Bodleian Library Record 9 (1973) 17–22 and N. G. Wilson, From Byzantium to Italy. Greek Studies in the Italian Renaissance, Second edition, London, 2017, p. 130. For a discussion of Montagana’s annotations on Holkham Gr. 103 see E. Gamba, Pietro Da Montagnana: La Vita, Gli Studi, La Biblioteca Di Un Homo Trilinguis, PhD. thesis, 29 January 2016, pp. 340–342.

Catalogue Nrs: paste down (in pencil): MS. Holkham Gr. 103; fol. i(r) (in pencil): D3B8 No. 279 287 = Olim Holkham Hall, Libr. of the Earl of Leicester, 287.