[Elegia di madonna Fiammetta ; with, an Italian novella] : manuscript

Benchmark for Faithful Digital Reproductions of Monographs and Serials. Version 1. December 2002 140 fol. : 220 x 133 mm Manuscript Missing the first two leaves Incomplete at the end Layout: Gatherings of 10 leaves, although missing the first 2 leaves in the first quire, and with some leaves missing at the end of the final quire, now of 6 leaves plus 1. In the script: with teardrop a, with h curled below the line, with f and tall s only slightly below the line; words begin with a round r. 28 long lines, with ruling done via dry point (or perhaps a ruling board) with two parallel vertical rules on either side of the text, and only extending above and below the text by a small amount; there seem to be no horizontal rules Script: Humanistic cursive; signed by scribe Decoration: Gold initials for the books, 4-line, on alternating blue grounds with pink infilling, or the reverse, and with white penwork: ff. 1, 22v, 34v, 44, 48, (skipped inadvertently for Book 6 on f. 87), 114, 123v, 135v. Chapter initials, 2-line, in alternating plain red or blue, copied outside the written space, with guide letters clearly visible Binding: Bound, s. XV2, in brown leather over wooden boards, beveled to the inside with 3 double bands across the spine; the covers are blind tooled in three concentric triple-fillet rectangular frames; the innermost frame encloses a lozenge, blind stamped, with interlocking rope designs and dots. Remains of two clasps closing to the front cover (on the lower cover, the one remaining brass portion of the clasps is stamped with the Paschal Lamb looking backwards, within a circle); eight brass bosses (4 on each cover); on the upper front cover, four small nails in a rectangular pattern from what once held down a label with the title for this book. On the spine, a torn paper label, "Boccaccio/ Fiammetta / MSS / 1458," and inscribed on the upper edge of the book, "Fiametta" [sic]. The pastedowns, front and back, and a flyleaf in the back, all three cropped