An Early 15th Century Manuscript of Geoffrey of Vinsauf's "Poetria Nova"
Poetria Nova.
Italy, 1417.
Italy: 1417.
Full Description:
[GEOFFREY OF VINSAUF]. Poetria Nova. [Italy: 1417[.
Manuscript on vellum and paper. (8 5/8 x 5 3/4 inches; 215 x 147 mm). With 54 leaves. 47 leaves of paper and 7 of vellum. Lacking two leaves in the first gathering, i and viii, and possibly two in the final gathering. Final leaf blank. 18-21 lines on each leaf. Text in Latin. Written in a gothic script in Italy by the scribe Dominicus, Two-line initials in red and blue with contrasting penwork. Capitals of each line touched in yellow. Rubrication. One small drawing of Christ on the cross on leaf 21. Scribe's name and date from the colophon.
De Ricci's "Census of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in the United States and Canada" lists four known copies of the manuscript. 1. [page 587, # 476] University of Chicago. 40 leaves.
2. [page 889, #120] Robert Garrett now with Princeton University. 79 leaves. 3. [page 889, #121] Robert Garrett now with Princeton University. 61 leaves. 4. [page 2303] Harvard University. 38 leaves.
Contemporary red sheepskin over wooden boards. Spine tied with cords visible. Boards with brass bosses, remains of fasteners, one catch on back. Lacking clasps and 3 bosses. Boards scuffed and with some losses to the sheepskin. Some worming to leather and boards. Some marginal dampstaining and a bit of minor worming, not affecting text. Leaf 50 with a repaired closed tear, no loss of text. Stabmarks present to fore-edge margin. Two previous owner's bookplate to front pastedown. Overall very good. Chemised and housed in a quarter blue morocco slipcase. Slipcase spine lettered in gilt. Slipcase with some tape to spine.
Provenance:
1. Written in 1417 by the scribe Dominicus: colophon on leaf 53: 'Explicit liber Poetrige [sic] Novelle deo gratias / Qui scripsit scribat semper cum Domino vivat / Vivat in celis Dominicus nomine felix Mocccco.xvij'.
2. Ernst Philip Goldschmidt (1887-1954): his catalogue 23, Mediaeval literature and science with a few manuscripts of the classics [...] including a small collection of manuscripts of the classics, 1930, no 155. His stock book number '11235' in pencil on lower pastedown. Acquired in 1949 by:
3. Howard Lehman Goodhart (1884-1951), stockbroker and bibliophile: his leather book label on inside upper cover. By descent to his daughter:
4. Phyllis Goodhart Gordan (1913-1994): her leather book label on inside upper cover, MS 97. On deposit at Bryn Mawr, BMC 54. Published in Faye & Bond, Supplement, pg. 403, #97.
"Rhetoric not only provided a repertoire of compositional techniques but also informed the very habits of mind of medieval writers and readers. The Poetria nova, written by the Englishman Geoffrey of Vinsauf shortly after 1200, was the most influential medieval treatise on rhetorical poetics. Modeled on Horace’s Ars poetica, it is an art of poetry (and prose) in 2121 hexameter verses. Like its other chief source the Rhetorica ad Herennium (attributed to Cicero during the Middle Ages), the Poetria nova takes its structure from the five canons of rhetoric. It treats invention, arrangement, style, delivery, and memory, with special attention to amplification and abbreviation, the figures of speech and thought, and the stylistic techniques of ‘conversions’ and ‘determinations.’ This synthesis of Horatian and Ciceronian doctrine, combined with an abundance of illustrative set pieces (such as the famous lament for King Richard Lion Heart), was an immediate and lasting success. Geoffrey Chaucer cited the Poetria nova more than once, and a century later Desiderius Erasmus still considered it a major authority on rhetorical composition." (M. Camargo, Introduction to the Revised Edition Translated by M.F. Nims, 2010).
"Geoffrey of Vinsauf was a notable medieval scholar whose influence on vernacular literature during the Middle Ages is widely recognized, especially in the later years of that period. Born in England and educated at St. Frideswide's, Oxford, Vinsauf traveled extensively in France and Italy, eventually teaching verse composition in England. His significant contributions to rhetoric include two major works: "The New Poetics," ["Poetria Nova"] [written] around 1210, and "Instruction in the Art and Method of Speaking and Versifying," both of which became essential texts on rhetorical principles. "The New Poetics," a lengthy poem, draws inspiration from classical works by Horace and Cicero, highlighting the enduring legacy of classical rhetoric in medieval scholarship. Vinsauf's teachings... have influenced notable figures, including Geoffrey Chaucer, author of "The Canterbury Tales." [specifically his reference in the 'Nun's Priest Tale'] His works have survived in over two hundred manuscripts, illustrating their widespread adoption and lasting impact on literature and education throughout Europe for three centuries. Despite the scarcity of details about his personal life, Geoffrey of Vinsauf's intellectual contributions continue to be recognized for shaping the literary landscape of his time" (Eric R. Tucker, EBSCO).
Faye & Bond. Supplement to the Census of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in the United States and Canada, 1962, pg. 403, # 97.
HBS 69544.
$60,000.
Price: $60,000.00
Item #69544