PBA Galleries

92 vellum leaves. Handwritten in brown ink on both sides. 22x15 cm (8¾x5¾"), period red roan tooled in gilt with gilt and blind-rule border enclosing central oval ornament, rebacked in similar leather at an early time, spine tooled in gilt, old paper label "Venetian M.S. 1580" on spine, gilt edges.

Rare manuscript on vellum of the laws of Venice, at a time when the city-state was recovering from the devastation of the Black Death but was still a major center of trade with the East. As noted on the final leaf, which is dated 1588, the manuscript was written by "Camillus Ziliolus / Ducalis Notarius / ...Ducali Palatio." The first leaf is not numbered, with the remainder numbered 2 through 92. There are seven unused, but lightly lined, leaves as the end. It could be that a preliminary title leaf is missing. Only one such manuscript is listed in he Schoenberg Database of Manuscripts at the University of Pennsylvania, and there are none in the large collection of city laws at Yale University. Provenance: With late nineteenth century label of "V. Arrigoni Collection d'antiquités... Milan" on front pastedown, bookplate of "Holy Sepulcre. New Hall" on free endpaper, catalogue entry from the Gibson Craig library, sold at auction in 1888, on front pastedown. Later ownership marking of Edward Lyndoe.  An exceptional and rare work in fine contemporary red morocco Italian gilt binding.