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

Title

Manual of a Venetian consigliere, written for Giovanni Francesco Basadonna

Authors

• Basadonna, Giovanni Francesco
• Padavia, Marc Antonio

Call number

Ms. Codex 256
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104-6206., University of Pennsylvania, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts)

Alternate identifiers

• bibid: 9915808713503681
• http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/122545194
• http://hdl.library.upenn.edu/1017/d/medren/1580871

Publisher

University of Pennsylvania

Language

Italian

Origin

Date

ca. 1560

Place

Venice?

Summary

Manual of a Venetian consigliere, an assistant to the mayor of Venice, outlining the duties of his office. It also gives valuable information on the setup of the Venetian city administration. There are chapters on balloting, the handling of shipwrecked merchandise, the famous "Concilio de'Dieci," the issuing of passports, the court of justice and many other subjects. This manuscript was written for Giovanni Francesco Basadonna, and it begins with the oath he swore to his superior (f. 1v). (The spelling "Basadonna" seems certain; "Basadona," as on the spine of the slipcase, seems to be a misinterpretation of the name as given on f. 1v.)

Notes

• Ms. codex.
   
• No title given in the manuscript.
   
• Signed by Marc Antonio Padavia (f. 57r), who might be the author as well as the scribe.
   
• No date in manuscript; date taken from Zacour-Hirsch Catalogue and from seller's note (on file in the Library).
   
• Cover wearing at spine; evidence of worm damage to cover. Paper endleaves stained, with a few wormholes.
   

Extent

60 leaves : 228 x 156 (154 x 103) mm. bound to 236 x 166 mm

Foliation

Parchment, iii+ 60 + iii; [iii], 1-60, [iii], contemporary arabic numerals, upper right recto. The unnumbered leaves at the front at back are paper endleaves.

Support

Parchment

Binding

Contemporary red velvet over boards. In a modern slipcase.

Decoration

Full-page painting (f. 1r) in vivid colors depicting the patron saints of Basadonna, St. Francis of Assisi and St. John the Apostle, against a mountainous background in a gold ornamental frame. Above them, inset into the frame as a miniature, is the Venetian patron St. Mark depicted (as is customary) as a lion. Opening words in gold, chapter headings in red.

Script

Written in a single cursive hand.

Provenance

• Comes Hercules Silva (stamp, f. 57v).
   
• Sold by Helmuth Wallach, 1955.
   

Subjects topical

• Venice (Republic : To 1797).--Consiglio dei Dieci

Genres

• Codices
• Manuals (instructional materials)
• Manuscripts, Italian--16th century
• Manuscripts, Renaissance

Keywords

• 16th century
• Italian
• Italy
• Christian
• Instructional materials

Licenses

• Text

  These images and the content of Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts Ms. Codex 256: Manual of a Venetian consigliere, written for Giovanni Francesco Basadonna 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/

• Text

  Metadata is © and 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

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

Table of contents

• fol. 57r — Scribe's signature, Marc Antonio Padavia, f. 57r

Decorations

• fol. 1r — Miniature, St. Francis of Assisi and St. John the Apostle, f. 1r
• fol. 57v — Owner's stamp, Comes Hercules Silva, f. 57v