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Isidore of Seville Sententiae (Sentences) Spain, 12th c. The Free Library of Philadelphia, Lewis E 137

De ludo scacchorum seu de moribus hominum et off iciis nobilium (Book of the Game of Chess, or, The Customs of Men and the Duties of Nobles) Northern Italy, 1409; scribe: Franciscus Gennay (fols. 56r, 71r, 92r, and 124v) University of Pennsylvania, Lawrence J. Schoenberg Collection, LJS 267 This diverse early humanist compendium, mostly in Latin, contains short works and extracts of longer texts relating to political philosophy, religion, history, and literature. Included are multiple texts by Donato Albanzani (ca. 1328–after 1411), a rhetorician active in Venice, Ravenna, and Ferrara. Albanzani was a friend of Petrarch and Boccaccio, translating their respective works, De viris illustribus and De claris mulieribus, into Italian.

Cicero Epistolae ad familiares (Letters to Friends) Ferrara, 1468; scribe: Gregorio Martinello (colophon on fol. 174v) The Free Library of Philadelphia, Lewis E 66 Petrarch had uncovered Cicero’s Epistolae ad Atticum in 1345 in Verona, but it was only in 1392 that Coluccio Salutati brought to light the entire sixteen books that make up the Epistolae ad familiares. Beyond its exemplary style of Latin prose, this collection of letters provided invaluable historical information concerning the final years of the Roman Republic. The present manuscript contains a complete copy of the Epistolae ad familiares, save for the first four letters of book 16, which appear to have been omitted purposefully.

Guillaume Tardif Basis grammaticae (Foundations of Grammar) Paris, 1 January 1470; scribe: Guillaume Tardif University of Pennsylvania, Lawrence J. Schoenberg Collection, LJS 242 Guillaume Tardif (ca. 1436–95) became a tutor first to Prince Charles of France (1446–72), and then to the Dauphin, the future Charles VIII (1470– 98). Tardif translated works by Petrarch, Lorenzo Valla, and Poggio Bracciolini into French. This manuscript is the autograph copy of Tardif’s earliest work, an original textbook on Latin grammar written in the final weeks of 1469.

Horace Epistolae (Epistles); Ars Poetica (Art of Poetry); Satires, Odes, Epodes, Carmen seculare (Song of the Ages) Venice, ca. 1471–73 The Free Library of Philadelphia, Horace MS 2 (previously Lewis E 235a) Horace’s Ars poetica (Art of Poetry) became a foundational text for Renaissance poetics and prompted numerous responses. This manuscript of Horace’s works, which includes the Epistles, Ars poetica, Satires, Odes, and Epodes, was written by two skillful humanist scribes.

Book of Hours, Use of Paris (Susanna Hours) Paris, ca. 1505–20; illuminator: workshop of the Master of Petrarch’s Triumphs Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1945-65-9 The iconographic cycle in this unique French Book of Hours features the story of Susanna and the Elders, adapted from chapter 13 of the apocryphal Book of Daniel. Each of the miniatures is accompanied by a set of five rhyming AABBA verses in French, consisting of unique paraphrased translations of the biblical text. The style of the illuminations is close to that of the so-called Master of Petrarch’s Triumphs (act. ca. 1499–ca. 1514)

Book of Hours, Use of Rome (Hours of Étienne Thirion) Lyon, 1518; illuminator: Master of Bénigne Serre Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1945-65-14 This full-page miniature in this stunning Lyonnais Book of Hours shows the martyrdom of Saint John, the composition of which is based on Albrecht Dürer’s Apocalypse woodcut print from 1511.

Prayer Book Milan (?), ca. 1510 The Free Library of Philadelphia, Lewis E 207 The radiant but somewhat childlike miniatures found in this beautiful Italian Book of Hours reflects the soft style championed by Leonardo da Vinci’s followers Marco d’Oggiono and Bernardino Luini in the region of Lombardia.

Gerbert of Aurillac (Sylvester II) Isagoge geometriae (Introduction to Geometry) Northern Austria (Saint Lambrecht?), mid-12th c., with late 15th- or early 16th-c. humanist annotations University of Pennsylvania, Lawrence J. Schoenberg Collection, LJS 194 Gerbert of Aurillac (ca. 945–1003) was the first Frenchman elected to the papacy; he reigned as Sylvester II for the final four years of his life. His renown, however, stems from his prowess as a mathematician and pedagogue. Among his achievements were the reintroduction of the abacus and armillary sphere to Western Europe, via the Islamic civilization of Al-Andalus.

Giannozzo Manetti, Poggio Bracciolini, and others Orationes ad Nicolaum V (Oration to Nicholas V) and other texts Italy, ca. 1450–60 Bryn Mawr College Library, Special Collections, MS 41 This 15th century manuscript compilation contains six texts relating to papal affairs of the previous half-century, each written by a prominent literary figure of the day.

Georges Chastellain L’oultré d’amour pour amour morte (The One Overcome by Love who Died for Love) Angers (?), ca. 1470 The Rosenbach Museum and Library, MS 443/21 The Burgundian chronicler and poet Georges Chastellain (ca. 1402/1415–75) was a prominent figure at the Burgundian court, serving dukes Phillip the Good and Charles the Bold with distinction. L’oultré d’amour, written in 214 octosyllabic octets, is an example of what was later called a roman à clef, a narrative describing actual events presented as a fictional account using altered names.

Giorgio di Lorenzo Chiarini Tracta di mercantie et usanze di paesi (Book of Trade and Customs of Countries) Florence, 1481; scribe: Ludovico Bertini Temple University Libraries, Special Collections Research Center (SPC) MSS BH 007 COCH This commercial manual in Italian responded perfectly to the needs of the Renaissance merchant: within its covers is well- organized information for converting weights, measures, and money across Western Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and the Caucasus, with major sections devoted to the trading capitals of Florence, Venice, and Genoa.