Beinecke MS 104                                                           Italy, 1515
Venetian Document

          Ducale issued in the name of Antonio Grimani, doge of Venice
     (1436-1523), giving instructions in Latin and Italian to a Venetian
     governor setting out for the island of Crete. The name of the governor,
     Petrus Barbarus, is in a 16th century hand quite different from the
     scribe's hand that wrote the body of the document and is written over a
     dirty erasure. The date "Die. 4. Marcij. M. D. XV." and the signature
     of the scribe "Victor Blanchus Secret^^s" on f. 14r may be later
     additions. f. 14v ruled, but blank

          Parchment, ff. 14 + i (original parchment flyleaf), 220 x 146 (172
     x 113) mm. Written in 29 long lines; vertical bounding lines in hard
     point; guide-lines for text in ink; remains of prickings for bounding
     lines only.
          Composed of a single gathering of 16 leaves (-1, 16 = flyleaf).
     Some leaf signatures, in red, on recto in lower right corner.
          Written in an upright humanistic script exhibiting chancery
     influence.
          One crude full border (f. 1r), with inset panels (framed by thick
     gold bands) containing the lion of St. Mark stepping out of water and
     holding an open book, St. Peter, red and black vine ornament against
     parchment ground, and red and blue vines against tan ground; in lower
     margin, an effaced coat of arms. One 6-line initial (f. 1r) gold,
     against a dark pink ground with red vine ornament, as above. The first
     two lines of the text in red majuscules against a gold ground; the
     third in blue majuscules. 2-line initials, gold, on f. 1r only. 1-line
     initials, red, outside text column (painted over guide-letters to
     rubricator) throughout.
          Binding: s. xvii. Brown goatskin blind-tooled and gilt with IHS
     monogram on both covers. Boards flush. Remains of four green ribbon
     ties.

          Written probably in Venice on 4 March 1515; arms of early owner on
     f. 1r effaced. From the estate of the Rev. T. Lawrason Riggs in 1944.

     Bibliography: Faye and Bond, p. 30, no. 104.

     Barbara A. Shailor