Collection ID: 0002 | Metadata type: TEI | TEI XML | Data

Title

Ledger of Medici forward contracts

Call number

Ms. Codex 1309
(Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, Rare Book & Manuscript Library)

Alternate identifiers

• bibid: 4433134
• http://hdl.library.upenn.edu/1017/d/medren/4433134

Publisher

The University of Pennsylvania Libraries

Language

Italian

Origin

Date

1605-1616

Place

Italy

Summary

Ledger of forward contracts between the brothers Andrea and Vincenzo de' Medici, sons of Carlo de' Medici, and members of other aristocratic families of Florence, for the years 1605-1616. Often includes the nature of a given transaction and its amount, as well as listing the names of the individuals that act as counterparts in the transaction. Most transactions are related to the textile business, which was of crucial importance for the Medici family. The counterparts in the transactions are often members of other aristocratic families from Florence, the most important being the Capponi, the Morelli, the Salviati. More precisely, the ledger contains detailed summaries of contracts to sell a standardized quantity of a textile product of standardized quality (agreed between the counterparts) at a certain date in the future, at a price determined at the time of writing of the contract. The future date in which the transaction is to be settled is also noted.

Notes

• Ms. codex.
   
• Title supplied by cataloger.
   
• Forms part of: Gondi-Medici Business Records.
   

Watermark

Similar to Briquet, Ange 675 (Pisa, 1569); Sirene 13894 (Pisa, 1597); Fleur-de-lis 7105 (Rome, 1565), but with rounder petals.

Extent

156 leaves : 337 x 231 mm. bound to 349 x 233 mm

Foliation

Paper, 256; each folio has the same number on both recto and verso; rectos numbered [i], 1-215, 217-250, [251-257], contemporary numeration in ink, modern numeration in pencil, upper right recto; versos numbered 1-214, 216, 217-249, [250-257], contemporary numeration in ink, modern numeration in pencil, upper left verso (leaves 304-311 and 323-352 are blank but ruled).

Support

Paper

Binding

Contemporary vellum, unreadable number on spine; the faded heading (Compere?), faded letter C (note inside upper cover) with decorative penwork and unreadable number on upper cover; lower cover with remnants of leather ties wraps around upper cover; decorative leatherwork on spine.

Layout

Written in 3 columns with vertical bounding lines in lead; the smaller column on the left with the transaction number, the large central column with the transaction, a brief description of it, including the name of the counterparts and the settlement date, and the smaller one on the right with the amount of the settlement in arabic numerals. In certain cases the large central column contains itemized accounts of a transaction within one entry.

Script

Written in a cursive script, perhaps by multiple hands.

Provenance

• Sold by Bernard M. Rosenthal, 1961.
   

Subjects topical

• Accounting--Italy--17th century
• Textile industry--Italy--Early works to 1800

Genres

• Codices
• Accounts
• Ledgers (account books)
• Manuscripts, Italian--17th century
• Manuscripts, European

Licenses

• Text

  This description is ©2015 University of Pennsylvania Libraries. It is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License version 4.0 (CC-BY-4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. For a description of the terms of use see the Creative Commons Deed https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

  URL

  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

• Text

  All referenced images and their content are free of known copyright restrictions and in the public domain. See the Creative Commons Public Domain Mark page for usage details, http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/.

  URL

  http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/