• De consuetudinibus et conditionibus orientalium regionum / Marco Polo ; Latin translation by Francesco Pipino.

Extent:
  • 1 volume (ii, 53, ii leaves) : parchment ; 26 cm
Date:
  • 1425-1475
Language:
Author:
  • Polo, Marco, 1254-1323?
Translator:
  • Pipino, Francesco, active 13th century-14th century
Contents:
  • 1.1r: “ || de regno Tymochaym et arbore solis que vulgariter apud latinos dicitur arbor sicca. xxvii capitulo ... de monachis quibusdem ydolatris. lxvii capitulo.”
  • 2.1r-53v: “Qualiter et quare Dominus Nicholaus de Venetiis et Domina (sic) Marcus transierunt ad partes orientales. Capitulo primo. Tempore quo Balduinus princeps sceptra constantinopolitani imperii gubernabat. Anno C. ab incarnacione Domini millesimo CCliio ...” Explicit: “In mari illo Insule quedam sunt in quibus nascuntur et capiuntur gerfalci et herodii qui Inde postmodum ad diuersas prouincias et regiones deferuntur. Explicit liber Domini Marchi Pauli de Venetiis.”
Description:
  • Script: Anglicana; Maniculae.
  • Decoration: Chapters open with 2- to 3-line red initials. The manuscript is rubricated throughout. The final explicit in fere-Textualis script with calligraphic ascenders and every second word in red.
Binding note:
  • England, early 19th century. Bound in London by Charles Lewis, active from 1786 to 1836. Brown calf over pasteboard, with gold tooling along the perimeter and turn-ins; marbled end papers.
Provenance:
  • Garrett MS. 157 had among its early owners John Bulkeley (15th century?), who added an inscription in red ink (“Explicit liber de moribus et ritibus orientalium gentium. joannes bulkeley”) on fol. 53v and other brief annotations on fols. 4v, 5r-v, 11r, and 53v. The book was later in the library of Lord Leonard Grey (or Gray), Viscount Crane (ca. 1490-1541), who served in various posts for Henry VIII (r. 1509-1547), including Lord Deputy of Ireland, 1536-1540. The London bookseller Bernard Quaritch sold the manuscript in March 1929 to Robert Garrett (1875-1961), of Baltimore, Maryland, Class of 1897. His gift to the Princeton University Library in 1942.
Source acquisition:
  • Gift of Robert Garrett, 1942.
Contributor:
  • Princeton University. Library. Manuscript. Garrett MS. 157
References:
  • Medieval & Renaissance manuscripts in the Princeton University Library, volume 1, pages 366-368.
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