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Language: Latin

Manuscript Summary: This volume, S 56, from the library of Walter Supersaxo (ca. 1402-1482), Bishop of Sion, and of his son Georg (ca. 1450-1529) in five parts brings together various Latin texts, classical texts as well as works by Italian humanists; the first two parts are printed (with initials in red and green), the latter three are handwritten. The first part, printed around 1472 by Michael Wenssler and Friedrich Biel in Basel (GW 3676), contains the Epistolae by the humanist and professor of rhetoric Gasparino Barzizza from Bergamo (ca. 1360-1431). This is followed by The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius, also from the workshop of Michael Wenssler in Basel from about 1473-1474 (GW 4514). Next is the first handwritten text (incomplete, with marginal and interlinear glosses), Jesuida seu De passione Christi by the humanist and physician Girolamo della Valle from Padua († ca. 1458 or 1494). This work, written in hexameter and dedicated to Pietro Donato, Bishop of Padua from 1428 until 1447, was most likely copied from the edition of about 1474 that was printed by Michael Wenssler in Basel (GW M49385) and that also served as model for the lay-out. The fourth part contains the Catiline conspiracy by Sallust. At the end of the volume, the fifth part is made up of three works by two authors (with marginal and interlinear glosses; initials in red and green); due to a bookbinder’s error, the order of the quires is mixed up. This fifth part contains the Elegantiolae (the order for reading would be: ff. 1r-10v, 27r-38v, 11r-20r) by the humanist and professor of rhetoric Agostino Dati from Siena (*1420 or 1428, †1478), as well as two treatises by Gasparino Barzizza, which are already included in the printed part, the Praeceptorum summula (ff. 20r-21v) and the Modus orandi (ff. 21v-26v, 39r-43r). The three handwritten parts of the volume were produced by different hands, among them that of the anonymous scribe of Georg Supersaxo. S 56 therefore is comparable to the other manuscripts (S 51, S 101, S 105) that were made for Georg Supersaxo at the time when the young man studied law in Basel (around 1472-1474). Among the annotations on the flyleaves one can recognize a note of ownership by his father Walter Supersaxon, Bishop of Sion (f. N2r). (esc)

Online Since: 03/22/2018