Beschreibung:

PSEUDO-AUGUSTINE, De manuale verbo dei ; OGNIBENE DA LONIGO (1412-1474), letter to Fra Silvestro of Siena dated Vicenza 20 July 1436; ‘PUBLIUS LENTULUS’, Description of the appearance of Christ; FRA SILVESTRO (d. after 1454), letter to Ognibene da Lonigo dated Padua 9 August 1436, in Latin, ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM , [north-eastern Italy, c.1440
PSEUDO-AUGUSTINE, De manuale verbo dei ; OGNIBENE DA LONIGO (1412-1474), letter to Fra Silvestro of Siena dated Vicenza 20 July 1436; ‘PUBLIUS LENTULUS’, Description of the appearance of Christ; FRA SILVESTRO (d. after 1454), letter to Ognibene da Lonigo dated Padua 9 August 1436, in Latin, ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM , [north-eastern Italy, c.1440] 220 x 145mm. 24 leaves, COMPLETE . Written by two scribes, ff.1-20 in a distinctive spiky humanistic hand and ff.20-24v in a regular humanistic script, ruled space: 152 x 82mm. Opening folio with HISTORIATED INITIAL WITH PART-BORDER , a coat-of-arms in the lower margin (some oxidisation and small pigment losses to illumination, thumbing of margin on f.1). 19th-century panelled calf ruled and rolled in blind, spine gilt-lettered 'AUGUSTINUS DE SPE IN CHRISTO. MS. IN VEL.' (slightly rubbed). PROVENANCE: (1) See below. (2) ALLAN HEYWOOD BRIGHT : bookplate and letter addressed to him from his brother Hugh. CONTENT : Pseudo-Augustine, Manuale ff.1-15v; Ognibene Bonisoli or Omnibonus Leonicenus vicentinum, L e tter to Fra Silvestro O.F.M. ff.15v-19v; Description of the image of Christ ff.19v-20; Fra Silvestro O.F.M., Letter replying to Ognibene ff.20-24v. The apocryphal work titled here Liber contemplationis Beati Augustini De spe habenda in cristo is actually a compilation of texts from John of Fécamp, St Bernard, Hugh of St Victor and Anselm: B. Blumenkranz, ‘La suivie médiévale de saint Augustin à travers ses apocryphes’, Augustinus Magister , II, Paris 1954 p.1013. The text here corresponds, although with different chapter divisions and titles and ending after chapter xxiv, to PLM, vol. XL, cols 951-962. The description of Christ purports to be from a letter sent by Publius Lentulus, governor of Judea, to the Senate in Rome during Christ’s lifetime. According to the colophon in a manuscript copy in Jena the Latin original was found in 1421. From then on the letter had widespread circulation, and was perhaps most notably recorded on one wing of a late 15th-century diptych facing a profile portrait of Christ (Museum Catharijneconvent, Utrecht): S. Bussels, ‘The Diptych of the Lentulus Letter: Building Textual and Visual Evidence for Christ’s Appearance’ in T. de Hemptinne, V. Fraeters & M.E. Góngora eds, Speaking to the Eye , 2013, pp.241-257. The Observant Franciscan Fra Silvestro da Radicondoli (d.after 1454) was a disciple of St Bernardino of Siena. Known as Silvester of Siena, he was renowned as a preacher throughout Italy. Two of the short texts in this manuscript appear to have been prompted by his visit to the Veneto in 1436. The first is a petition from Ognibene Bonisoli da Lonigo asking that Silvester recommend his acceptance, in spite of his marriage, into the order of Franciscan tertiaries, citing exemplary married men who have observed the vow of chastity notwithstanding the difficulties involved. One of these examples was Roberto Galeotto Malatesta, whose restraint and devotion earned him the status ‘Blessed’. This ambition – in the year of his marriage – is a little known aspect and early concern of the humanist Ognibene – known as Omnibonus Leonicenus – who was a pupil and from 1449 successor of Vittorino da Feltre at Mantua. His works included editions and commentaries on various classical authors including Juvenal, Cicero and, above all, Lucan, and he was an early translator of Aesop’s Fables. The final element of the manuscript (ff.20-24v), in a different, but contemporary, hand is a copy of Fra Silvestro's reply to Ognibene's letter. This is a very individual collection of texts and no other copies of the correspondence between Ognibene and Fra Silvestro appear to be recorded. Might Ognibene himself be behind the production of the manuscript? The major part of his life and career was passed in Vicenza and the style of the illumination would be consistent with its production in the Veneto in the second quarter of the century.