MS. Bywater 2
Contents
Preface
Text
Followed by a scribal colophon, see under Provenance.
Physical Description
Collation
Layout
Blind-ruled on the innermost face of each bifolium, with 24 horizontals per page, the top two and bottom two extending the full width of the page, the others bounded by two pairs of vertical bounding lines, extending the full height of the page. 24 lines of text per page.
Hand(s)
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.
History
Provenance and Acquisition
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'.
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.
Record Sources
Digital Images
Digital Bodleian (1 image from 35mm slides)
Bibliography
Printed descriptions:
Abbreviations
View list of abbreviations and editorial conventions.
Last Substantive Revision
2017-07-01: First online publication.