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MS. Bodl. 488

Summary Catalogue no.: 2068

Contents

Statutes of the Hospital of S. Maria Nuova, Florence
Incipit: In nomine supercęlestis ... Dei Deiparęque Marię perpetuo virginis, Magni et pręcellentis Hospitalis titulo Sanctę Marię Novę in urbe Florentia principium ordo et institutio incipit

Preceded by an address to Henry VII of England by Francesco Portinari, patron of the Hospital. Tr. Katharine Park and John Henderson, ‘“The First Hospital among Christians”: The Ospedale Di Santa Maria Nuova in Early Sixteenth-Century Florence’, Medical History, 35.2 (1991), 164–88.

Language(s): Latin

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment
Extent: iii + 40 leaves
Dimensions (binding): 8.625 × 6.875 in.

Hand(s)

Humanistic script, tentatively identified by A. de la Mare as Alessandro da Verrazzano (Parks and Henderson, 175–6 n. 44).

Decoration

Fine historiated border.

Initials. Related to the style of Attavente. (Pächt and Alexander ii. 334, pl. XXXI)

  • fol. iii verso: border, left margin, Badges of Henry VII of England among interlaced stems, foliage and flowers.
  • fol. 3r: frontpiece framed by a panelled border, decorated with interlaced stems, folliage, flowers, putti and medallions at intervals containing the badges of Henry VII of England and Tudor roses. The panel at the botom of the page contains four angels holding the royal arms and roses.

Binding

Green velvet and red silk with gold ornament, English late 16th cent. work, but the velvet is probably part, of the original Italian binding of about 1500

History

Origin: c. 1500 ; Italian, Florence

Provenance and Acquisition

Probably the presentation copy for Henry VII: the hospital of S. Maria was the model for Henry's hospital of the Savoy in London.

'THo: Allen. D.[ono] D.[edit],' in 1601.

Record Sources

Description adapted (May 2020) from the following sources, incorporating additional description of decoration by Elizabeth Solopava (c. 2000), and with reference to other published literature as cited:
Otto Pächt and J. J. G. Alexander, Illuminated Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, II (1970), no. 334 [decoration, origin, date]
Summary Catalogue (1922) [contents, physical description, provenance and acquisition]
Summary Catalogue, vol. 2, part 1, p. 194

Digital Images

Digital Bodleian (6 images from 35mm slides)

Abbreviations

View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.

Last Substantive Revision

2020-05-04: Description revised to incorporate all information in SC.