Cicero, De Senectute, De paradoxis sequitur, De Somnio Scipionis, in Latin, decorated manuscript on vellum [Italy (perhaps north-west), mid-fifteenth century]

Estimate

3,000 - 5,000 GBP

bidding is closed

Description

Vellum

32 leaves, 192mm. by 130mm., wanting a few leaves at end (only the first page of the Somnio Scipionis present), else complete, collation: i^{12, ii-iii^{10, 29 lines in brown ink in a professional humanist hand, rubrics in red, three large red initials with elaborate contrasting penwork,}}a palimpsest manuscript, vellum reused from fourteenth-century documents (under-text scrubbed away but partially visible in margins throughout: that on fol.18v mentioning a "Johannes de V" in Cremona and dated 1[3]53, and several notarial marks), spaces left for rubrics throughout, some folds from vellum's original use, discolouration to first and last leaves, small number of later annotations and corrections, reader's ticket signed "de la Mare" pasted to flyleaf, overall good condition, modern blue morocco over pasteboards (by Bernard Middleton)

Provenance

provenance

Graham Pollard (1903-76), bibliographer and with John Carter the exposer of the forger T.J. Wise: his inscription "bought at Sotheby's c.1952 .... on front flyleaf.

Catalogue Note

text

Cicero's great classic De Senectute, an essay in defence of old age and a rebuttal of the fear of death, was written in 44 BC. It dates to the author's last year of life, a period of contemplation after the death of his beloved daughter Tullia and his expulsion from public life by Mark Anthony. Like many of his philosophical works, it is set in the form of a fictional dialogue, here between the Roman statesman Cato the Elder (234-149 BC.), the celebrated general, Scipio Africanus (236-183 BC., who defeated Hannibal), and the consul Gaius Laelius Sapiens (188-129 BC.).

It is notable that while the hand of this manuscript is an accomplished professional one, the palimpsest vellum is of poor quality, recovered from documents. It is perhaps a copy made by the scribe for his own personal studies.