Repertorium Pomponianum
Libri manuscripti

London, British Library, King's 32

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During the winter of 1469-70 Pomponio Leto annotated and corrected the text of Martial in the present King's 32 together with Niccolò Perotti (Campanelli 1998, 174-76; Ramminger 2001, 127. Mercati 1925, 75-76 had established the date as 1471-72, but was corrected by Monfasani 1986, 99 n. 8). Perotti himself mentioned the collaboration a few months later in the preface to his commentary on the Silvae of Statius ("omnem hanc hyemem et maximam partem autumni in corrigendo atque exponendo Martiale una cum Pomponio meo Fortunato consumpsi"; I spent all this winter and a large part of the autumn correcting and explaining Martial together with my good friend Pomponius Fortunatus, Vat. lat. 6835, praefatio f. 54v; the preface is here).

The manuscript was produced for Pomponio's pupil Fabio Mazzatosta (on the manuscripts copied for Mazzatosta by Pomponio, see Maddalo 1991); Pomponio wrote the text of Martial and the largest part of the annotations. In general Perotti inserted the Graeca, but his hand has also been identified in a number of glosses. The exact nature of the collaboration is still being discussed. Whereas Campanelli maintained that Perotti merely acted as a sort of specialist on matters Greek (Campanelli 1998, 175), Ramminger has shown that his role in the compilation of the commentary was far more important (Ramminger 2001, 132-35). Recently Pade (forthcoming) has discussed the relationship between the commentary in King's 32 and the one copied by Pomponio in BAV Ottob. lat. 1188.

Description of manuscript

Material: parchment + paper flyleaves
Format: mm. 228 x 140 (155 x 70)
Foliation: ff. 172 (+ flyleaves)
Origin: Rome
Date: 1470-71
Scribe: Pomponio; some notes by Niccolò Perotti; epigraphic capitals attributed to Bartolomeo Sanvito.
Artist: Gioacchino de Gigantibus
Decoration: (f. 2r) white vine stem initial and three-sided border, with putti and two green parrots; smaller golden initials on coloured background for minor divisions. Initials attributed to Gioacchino de Gigantibus, display script in blue or gold epigraphic capitals by Bartolomeo Sanvito.
Content: Martial's epigrams, preceded by the Liber spectaculorum (ff. 1-5, incomplete), accompanied by a commentary compiled by Pomponio and Niccolò Perotti.
Bibliography: See British Library's on-line Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts, Detailed record for King's 32: here.
Reproductions: See British Library's on-line Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts, Detailed record for King's 32, Images, f. 2r; f. 2r initial; f. 2r detail of lower border; f. 26r; f. 26r detail; f. 87v.
 
Marianne Pade
4 August 2008
 
 
This entry can be cited as follows:
Marianne Pade, "London, British Library, King's 32," Repertorium Pomponianum (URL: www.repertoriumpomponianum.it/mss_et_inc/bl_kings_32.htm,

 

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