Pharsalia (De bello civili) in Latin, manuscript on paper [Italy, 15th century]

Lucan (39-65)
Pharsalia (De bello civili) in Latin, manuscript on paper [Italy, 15th century]
A manuscript of Roman history, perhaps written by a Humanistic scholar for his own use.

c.295 × 210mm. 8 leaves, 35 lines per page in somewhat cursive Humanistic script, the text comprising Books 5.326–6.67 (‘Invenient hęc arma […] magnumque redderet hora. M. Anne Lvcani Cordvbensis Pharsalie Liber sextus. [P]ostquam castra duces pugne iam mente propinqui […] Rutupinaque littora feruent’), a blank space left for a coloured initial (some wormholes and stains, part of a blank lower margin missing, not affecting legibility).

Provenance:
(1) Unidentified Italian owner, with pencil note ‘Frammento di Lucano – dopo 1477’.
(2) Colker MS 324; acquired in 1984 from Quaritch.

Named after the Battle of Pharsalus in 48 BCE, the verse text recounts the civil war between Julius Caesar and the Roman Senate led by Pompey. The present leaves – written in a relatively rapid cursive script, on paper, with no decoration – are typical of the books written by Humanistic scholars for their own use.

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