De nobilitate, etc., 1425 - 1475

Previously Gordan 51.

Parchment support, ff. i (modern parchment=front pastedown) + 114 + ii (modern parchment, ii=pastedown).

20th c. parchment.

114+i; 222 x 152 mm bound to 232 x 165 mm

Single column of twenty-one lines (fols. 1r-105v) or twenty-two to twenty-three lines (fols. 106r-113r); ruled with faint vertical bounding lines in hard point with a double vertical bounding line on the left and a single on the right in ink; remains of pricking in right margin; written area: 136 x 90 mm

Humanistic script. Articles 1-4 and 8 written by several scribes; articles 5-7 written by two scribes.

The Poggio texts, articles 1-4, have fine decorations at the beginning of each section of text. On ff. 1r and 48r the text begins with an illuminated 4-line gold initial on a white-speckled pink, blue, and green ground, brown branchwork twines around the initial. Extending from the initial along most of the inner margin penwork vinestems, gold-filled penwork seedpods and leaves are intermingled with more naturalistic pink, blue, and orange flowers and large blue and green leaves. On f. 1r a finely drawn grey and white owl (see image above) sits amid the flowers. The lower margin on f. 1r is filled with a blue shield, its device effaced, surrounded by ornate pink and blue acanthus, vines, flowers, and seedpods. On f. 48r the margin decoration shows an arrangement of over-sized pink carnations and more abstract penwork florets spilling from an elaborate gold urn. Similar 3-line initials with more modest penwork marginal extensions of flowers and seedpods begin ff. 3r, 38v, and 43v, while on f. 50r a similar 3-line initial is accompanied by more elaborate decoration of vinework, carnations, leaves, and seedpods extending along most of the inner margin. All of the articles have red display text and red or black marginal notation. In articles 5-7 spaces for decorative initials have been left unfilled, guide letters for decorator visible.

Modern foliation in pencil, upper right recto.