Details
VILLANI, Giovanni (ca. 1276-1348). Nuova cronica, in Italian, MANUSCRIPT ON PAPER.
[Florence, 14th century]
Royal 2° (395 x 290mm). 414 leaves: A-Z16 AA14 BB-CC16 (f.1 [A1] replaced by a later title page, blank ff.32-33 [B8,C1] replaced by later blanks, text leaves f.81 and f.210 [F1,O2] lacking and replaced by later blanks, lacking an undetermined number of text leaves after f.414); contemporary foliation in roman numerals in upper right corner of rectos, catchwords in the centre of the lower margin of final versos, in red and brown pen-drawn cartouches in quires A-Y, double columns of 39-43 lines, frame-ruled in lead, justification: 300 x 200mm, written in dark brown ink in two Florentine cursive chancery hands, one of the early 14th century (ff.2-352), the other somewhat later (ff.352v-414v), guide-letters for initials in margins; capitula in red (ff.2-21v), book numbers in upper margins and chapter titles in text in red on ff.34-352, ff.352v-414v unrubricated; ff.34-352 with 9-line and 4-line Lombard-like initials in alternating red and blue outlined in the opposite colour, the book initials with fanciful foliate extensions, additional outlining and dotted ornamentation, ff. 352v-414v with 2-line initial spaces (ca. 10 leaves damaged and repaired with loss of text, ca. 20 leaves with substantial repairs to margins, many other leaves with some repairs to margins or closed tears in text, many leaves strengthened at inner margin, slight foxing, occasional staining or smudging, the blue pigment often rubbed or faded). 19th-century diced calf panelled in gilt and blind with the gilt coat of arms of the Sommaia family, over wooden boards, two brass clasps (somewhat scuffed).
PROVENANCE:
1. The manuscript was written in Florence in the 14 century, possibly in the circle of Giovanni Villani himself. Textual analysis suggests that the first section, ff.1-352, may have been copied before Villani's death in 1348.
2. Marginalia in several hands of the 14th-16th centuries, including that of the second copyist, and two notes (ff.149v-150) relating to floods of the Arno in 1547.
3. By the 18th century the codex belonged to the Sommaia family of Florence, whose coat of arms appears on the title page, which was apparently substituted for the original f.1. The last representative of this family was Laura Isabella di Carlo da Sommaia (d.1739), wife of Amerigo di Bernardo Sarzelli.
4. The Sarzelli family, whose last representative, Jacopo Leone, died in 1803 leaving his inheritance to the Bardi family. The bookplate of Alberto Bardi Sarzelli, together with the shelfmark VIII.1.18, is found inside the front cover.
5. The codex was carefully restored and rebound in 1860 (stamps of '----glia del Volturno, 1 Ottobre 1860', on ff.204, 206), at which time the Sommaia arms were reproduced on the binding.
CONTENTS:
Title page: Storia di Giovanni Villani Cittadino Fiorentino (f.1); capitula, Books I-XI, chapter 53: Qui apresso iscriveremo chon cinabro tutti chapitolli che saranno ne la presentte croniche di Giovani Villani (ff.2r-21v; ff. 22r-33v blank); text, Books I-XI, chapter 53: Questo libro [si chiama canc.] si chiama la nuova cronicha quale si tratta di piue cose yspezialmentte dello origine comincciamentto della citta di Firenze e poi di tutte le mutazioni che ci e aute ad averra per lli tenpi. Cominciate a conpillare neglli anni della della [sic] incharnnazione di christo MCCC (ff.34-352); continuation of text, from Book XI, chapter 54 to Book XII, chapter 69 (ff.352v-414v).
The Nuova cronica of Giovanni Villani has long been recognized as an important source for Florentine history and as a significant example of historiography in the period of transition from the medieval chronicle to more modern forms of historical writing. 'While there had been Florentine chronicles before Villani's, it was only with his that a Florentine view of history emerged that wove together the early legends concerning the city's foundation, and the information about its early history recorded in the annals which Villani used as his sources with a coherent interpretation of the role of Florence in the political struggles of his own time and of the century or so preceding it' (L. Green, Chronicle into History, Cambridge 1972, pp.9-10). The work is also noteworthy as an early example of prose literature in the vernacular, and it is unique in its period for its inclusion of statistical, fiscal and economic information relating to life in Florence.
According to Villani, a Florentine merchant who had travelled in Italy, France and Flanders, and a member of the governing class who held various offices in Florence, the idea of writing a chronicle came to him when 'In the year of Christ 1300 Pope Boniface VIII made in honour of Christ's nativity a special and great indulgence. And I, finding myself in that blessed pilgrimage in the holy city of Rome, seeing her great and ancient remains, and reading the histories and great deeds of the Romans as written by Virgil, Sallust, Lucan, Livy, Valerius, Paulus Orosius and other masters of history who wrote the exploits and deeds, both great and small, of the Romans and also of strangers, in the whole world ... considering that our city of Florence, the daughter and offspring of Rome, is on the increase and destined to do great things, as Rome is in her decline, it appeared to me fitting to set down in this volume and new chronicle all the facts and beginnings of the city of Florence, in so far as it has been possible to me to collect and discover them, and to follow the doings of the Florentines at length ... and so in the year 1300, on my return from Rome, I began to compile the book, in honour of God and of the blessed John, and in praise of our city of Florence.' Villani's chronicle covers the history of Florence from its beginnings until his own death in 1348, relying increasingly for the last half-century on its author's experiences and observations. The work was continued down to 1364 first by Villani's brother Matteo and then by Matteo's son Filippo.
Villani's choice of 1300 as a starting date has been seen as a reference to Dante's Divine Comedy, and there are verbal parallels which show that Villani was familiar with the poem of his great contemporary. It is probable that the two men knew one another and that Villani was influenced by the work of his older and more distinguished compatriot; however, similarities in their treatment of the history of Florence are probably derived from dependence on common sources.
Although it is unlikely that Villani began writing in 1300, it is possible that he began collecting material at about that time. From an analysis of the text of the chronicle, it appears that he started keeping a regular account of current events about 1322, and it is probable that the first portion of the work took definitive shape in the 1330s. The chronicle was written and revised in stages and seems to have been published in two parts, marked by various indicators, including a separate prologue sometimes found with Books XI-XII, and a major textual division after Book XI, chapter 51. To some extent Books XI-XII, or Books XI, 52-XII, have a separate manuscript tradition, and even in manuscripts of the complete text there is frequently a change of scribe, showing that the second part was copied at a later time or from a different source.
The present manuscript shares these characteristics, in that it is divided into two parts, copied by different hands, although here the division occurs after Book XI, chapter 53. The prologue to Book XI is not present, and the first book is divided into two parts, with chapters 1-26 constituting a prologue and chapters 37-61 appearing as Book I, a feature that was apparently introduced at some point during the early revisions of the text (see F. Ragone, 'Le scritture parlate. Qualche ipotesi sulla redazione delle cronache volgari nel Trecento dopo l'edizione critica della "Nuova Cronica" di Giovanni Villani', Archivio storico italiano, 149 (1991) 783-810, and the works cited there). The first part of the present codex was presumably copied before the second part of the chronicle became available. The capitula, in the same hand as the first part of the text, go only as far as this text, and it is only the capitula and the first part of the text, to f.352, that are rubricated. Completion of the codex was anticipated, however, since space was left (ff.22-33v, now blank) for the remainder of the capitula, and the paper in the final quires of the manuscript (ff.353-414) has the same watermarks as some of those found in the quires written by the first scribe. If the second part of the text was published only after Villani's death, then the greater part of the present manuscript dates to his lifetime.
This codex was not included in the recent survey of manuscripts of Villani's chronicle, all of which are in institutional libraries (G. Porta, 'Censimento dei manoscritti delle cronache de Giovanni, Matteo e Filippo Villani', Studi di filologia italiana, 34 (1976), pp.61-120, 37 (1979), pp.93-117, 44 (1986), pp.65-67) made in preparation for a critical edition of the text (Giovanni Villani, Nuova cronica, ed. G. Porta, Parma, 1990-91, 3 vols.).
END OF SALE
Abbreviated references cited:-
Bibl. Arag.: T. de Marinis, La Biblioteca napoletana dei Re d'Aragona, (Milan, 1947-52) 4 vols
Censimento: P.G. Ricci & N. Rubinstein, Censimento delle Lettere di Lorenzo di Piero de' Medici (Florence, 1964)
Nuovi documenti: T. de Marinis & A. Perosa (eds), Nuovi documenti per la storia del Rinascimento (Florence, 1970)
Christie's are grateful to Professors Albinia de la Mare and Nicolai Rubinstein for the advice they have so generously given.
[Florence, 14th century]
Royal 2° (395 x 290mm). 414 leaves: A-Z16 AA14 BB-CC16 (f.1 [A1] replaced by a later title page, blank ff.32-33 [B8,C1] replaced by later blanks, text leaves f.81 and f.210 [F1,O2] lacking and replaced by later blanks, lacking an undetermined number of text leaves after f.414); contemporary foliation in roman numerals in upper right corner of rectos, catchwords in the centre of the lower margin of final versos, in red and brown pen-drawn cartouches in quires A-Y, double columns of 39-43 lines, frame-ruled in lead, justification: 300 x 200mm, written in dark brown ink in two Florentine cursive chancery hands, one of the early 14th century (ff.2-352), the other somewhat later (ff.352v-414v), guide-letters for initials in margins; capitula in red (ff.2-21v), book numbers in upper margins and chapter titles in text in red on ff.34-352, ff.352v-414v unrubricated; ff.34-352 with 9-line and 4-line Lombard-like initials in alternating red and blue outlined in the opposite colour, the book initials with fanciful foliate extensions, additional outlining and dotted ornamentation, ff. 352v-414v with 2-line initial spaces (ca. 10 leaves damaged and repaired with loss of text, ca. 20 leaves with substantial repairs to margins, many other leaves with some repairs to margins or closed tears in text, many leaves strengthened at inner margin, slight foxing, occasional staining or smudging, the blue pigment often rubbed or faded). 19th-century diced calf panelled in gilt and blind with the gilt coat of arms of the Sommaia family, over wooden boards, two brass clasps (somewhat scuffed).
PROVENANCE:
1. The manuscript was written in Florence in the 14 century, possibly in the circle of Giovanni Villani himself. Textual analysis suggests that the first section, ff.1-352, may have been copied before Villani's death in 1348.
2. Marginalia in several hands of the 14th-16th centuries, including that of the second copyist, and two notes (ff.149v-150) relating to floods of the Arno in 1547.
3. By the 18th century the codex belonged to the Sommaia family of Florence, whose coat of arms appears on the title page, which was apparently substituted for the original f.1. The last representative of this family was Laura Isabella di Carlo da Sommaia (d.1739), wife of Amerigo di Bernardo Sarzelli.
4. The Sarzelli family, whose last representative, Jacopo Leone, died in 1803 leaving his inheritance to the Bardi family. The bookplate of Alberto Bardi Sarzelli, together with the shelfmark VIII.1.18, is found inside the front cover.
5. The codex was carefully restored and rebound in 1860 (stamps of '----glia del Volturno, 1 Ottobre 1860', on ff.204, 206), at which time the Sommaia arms were reproduced on the binding.
CONTENTS:
Title page: Storia di Giovanni Villani Cittadino Fiorentino (f.1); capitula, Books I-XI, chapter 53: Qui apresso iscriveremo chon cinabro tutti chapitolli che saranno ne la presentte croniche di Giovani Villani (ff.2r-21v; ff. 22r-33v blank); text, Books I-XI, chapter 53: Questo libro [si chiama canc.] si chiama la nuova cronicha quale si tratta di piue cose yspezialmentte dello origine comincciamentto della citta di Firenze e poi di tutte le mutazioni che ci e aute ad averra per lli tenpi. Cominciate a conpillare neglli anni della della [sic] incharnnazione di christo MCCC (ff.34-352); continuation of text, from Book XI, chapter 54 to Book XII, chapter 69 (ff.352v-414v).
The Nuova cronica of Giovanni Villani has long been recognized as an important source for Florentine history and as a significant example of historiography in the period of transition from the medieval chronicle to more modern forms of historical writing. 'While there had been Florentine chronicles before Villani's, it was only with his that a Florentine view of history emerged that wove together the early legends concerning the city's foundation, and the information about its early history recorded in the annals which Villani used as his sources with a coherent interpretation of the role of Florence in the political struggles of his own time and of the century or so preceding it' (L. Green, Chronicle into History, Cambridge 1972, pp.9-10). The work is also noteworthy as an early example of prose literature in the vernacular, and it is unique in its period for its inclusion of statistical, fiscal and economic information relating to life in Florence.
According to Villani, a Florentine merchant who had travelled in Italy, France and Flanders, and a member of the governing class who held various offices in Florence, the idea of writing a chronicle came to him when 'In the year of Christ 1300 Pope Boniface VIII made in honour of Christ's nativity a special and great indulgence. And I, finding myself in that blessed pilgrimage in the holy city of Rome, seeing her great and ancient remains, and reading the histories and great deeds of the Romans as written by Virgil, Sallust, Lucan, Livy, Valerius, Paulus Orosius and other masters of history who wrote the exploits and deeds, both great and small, of the Romans and also of strangers, in the whole world ... considering that our city of Florence, the daughter and offspring of Rome, is on the increase and destined to do great things, as Rome is in her decline, it appeared to me fitting to set down in this volume and new chronicle all the facts and beginnings of the city of Florence, in so far as it has been possible to me to collect and discover them, and to follow the doings of the Florentines at length ... and so in the year 1300, on my return from Rome, I began to compile the book, in honour of God and of the blessed John, and in praise of our city of Florence.' Villani's chronicle covers the history of Florence from its beginnings until his own death in 1348, relying increasingly for the last half-century on its author's experiences and observations. The work was continued down to 1364 first by Villani's brother Matteo and then by Matteo's son Filippo.
Villani's choice of 1300 as a starting date has been seen as a reference to Dante's Divine Comedy, and there are verbal parallels which show that Villani was familiar with the poem of his great contemporary. It is probable that the two men knew one another and that Villani was influenced by the work of his older and more distinguished compatriot; however, similarities in their treatment of the history of Florence are probably derived from dependence on common sources.
Although it is unlikely that Villani began writing in 1300, it is possible that he began collecting material at about that time. From an analysis of the text of the chronicle, it appears that he started keeping a regular account of current events about 1322, and it is probable that the first portion of the work took definitive shape in the 1330s. The chronicle was written and revised in stages and seems to have been published in two parts, marked by various indicators, including a separate prologue sometimes found with Books XI-XII, and a major textual division after Book XI, chapter 51. To some extent Books XI-XII, or Books XI, 52-XII, have a separate manuscript tradition, and even in manuscripts of the complete text there is frequently a change of scribe, showing that the second part was copied at a later time or from a different source.
The present manuscript shares these characteristics, in that it is divided into two parts, copied by different hands, although here the division occurs after Book XI, chapter 53. The prologue to Book XI is not present, and the first book is divided into two parts, with chapters 1-26 constituting a prologue and chapters 37-61 appearing as Book I, a feature that was apparently introduced at some point during the early revisions of the text (see F. Ragone, 'Le scritture parlate. Qualche ipotesi sulla redazione delle cronache volgari nel Trecento dopo l'edizione critica della "Nuova Cronica" di Giovanni Villani', Archivio storico italiano, 149 (1991) 783-810, and the works cited there). The first part of the present codex was presumably copied before the second part of the chronicle became available. The capitula, in the same hand as the first part of the text, go only as far as this text, and it is only the capitula and the first part of the text, to f.352, that are rubricated. Completion of the codex was anticipated, however, since space was left (ff.22-33v, now blank) for the remainder of the capitula, and the paper in the final quires of the manuscript (ff.353-414) has the same watermarks as some of those found in the quires written by the first scribe. If the second part of the text was published only after Villani's death, then the greater part of the present manuscript dates to his lifetime.
This codex was not included in the recent survey of manuscripts of Villani's chronicle, all of which are in institutional libraries (G. Porta, 'Censimento dei manoscritti delle cronache de Giovanni, Matteo e Filippo Villani', Studi di filologia italiana, 34 (1976), pp.61-120, 37 (1979), pp.93-117, 44 (1986), pp.65-67) made in preparation for a critical edition of the text (Giovanni Villani, Nuova cronica, ed. G. Porta, Parma, 1990-91, 3 vols.).
END OF SALE
Abbreviated references cited:-
Bibl. Arag.: T. de Marinis, La Biblioteca napoletana dei Re d'Aragona, (Milan, 1947-52) 4 vols
Censimento: P.G. Ricci & N. Rubinstein, Censimento delle Lettere di Lorenzo di Piero de' Medici (Florence, 1964)
Nuovi documenti: T. de Marinis & A. Perosa (eds), Nuovi documenti per la storia del Rinascimento (Florence, 1970)
Christie's are grateful to Professors Albinia de la Mare and Nicolai Rubinstein for the advice they have so generously given.