Overview
Biblioteca Trivulziana
Milan
Italy
RVF, Triumphi
Description
147x88 mm; II + 199 + II fols.
parchment; humanistic script; Petrarch’s poems with one verse per line and prose text; seven full-page and one rectangular-box illuminations; one architectural frame; historiated and decorated letters.
‘SEPVLCRVM’
fol. 1r: blank;
fol. 1v: full-page illumination followed by three-line Latin epitaph for Petrarch (‘SEPVLCRVM’; <inc> FRIGIDA FRANCISCI LAPIS HIC TEGIT O[S]SA PETRARC[E]);
fols. 2r-8r: Leonardo Bruni’s life of Petrarch (‘INCOMINCIA LAVITA DEL C[L]ARISSIMO POETA MESSERE FRANCESCO PETRARCA COMPOSTA P[ER] LIONARDO ARE[ZZ]O’; <inc> Francescho petraccha huomo digrande ingegnio & non diminore uirtu; <exp> Essere ilpetrarcha insignito dicorona poeticha e non dante niente inporta aquesta comparatione inpero che molto e dastimare piu ilmeritar corona che auerla riceuuta Maximamente perche lauirtu e certa & lacorona taluolta perlieue giudicio cosi achi non merita dar si come achi merita dar sipuote);
fols. 8r-11v: alphabetical index of the first lines of RVF poems (under each letter of the alphabet, poems are listed in order of appearance);
followed by one unnumbered blank fol.;
fol. 12r: rectangular-box illumination representing Apollo chasing the nymph Daphne, who carries a laurel;
fols. 12r-151r: RVF (‘FRANCISCI PETRARCA[E] POETA[E] CLARISSIMI SONECTORVM ET CANTILENARVM LIBER INCIPIT FOELITER [sic]’, with the inclusion of dispersa ‘Donna miuiene spesso nellamente’ at fol. 148v);
fol. 151r: colophon: FINIS;
fols. 151v-152r: blank;
fols. 152v-198v: Triumphi (‘DOMINI FRANCISCI PETRARCA[E] FLORENTINI POETA[E] CLARISSIMI TRIVMPHORVM LIBER INCIPIT ET PRIMVM FOELICITER DE AMORE’; order: Amoris I, Amoris III, Amoris IV, Amoris II, Pudicitie, Mortis I, Mortis II, Fame Ia, Fame I, Fame II, Fame III, Temporis, Eternitatis) with blank fols. 165v-166r, 170v-171r, 181v-182r, 190v-191r, 195r;
fol. 198v: colophon: FINIS;
fol. 199r-199v: blank.
Material Copy
Biblioteca Trivulziana
Milan
Italy
Fol. 1v has a full-page illumination representing Petrarch composing while seated at a writing desk. At fol. 152v is a full-page illumination of Triumphus Amoris, which represents Cupid on a pedestal being pulled by two pairs of white horses; below the illumination, there is a small tondo showing a scene from the tale of Pyramus and Thisbe. Each subsequent Triumphus is preceded by a full-page illumination: before Pudicitie is an illumination representing the victory of Chastity over Love (fol. 166v); before Mortis is an illumination representing a dark grey skeleton in equilibrium on a classical base being pulled by two black horses (fol. 171v); before Fame is an illumination representing a processional chariot being pulled by elephants and followed by poets and knights (fol. 182v); before Temporis is an illumination representing a float pulled by two deer about to run over a young boy with the inscription ‘HERI HODIE CRAS’ (fol. 191v); before Eternitatis is an illumination representing the Christ Pantocrator holding a golden globe and an open Bible on a blue background (fol. 195v). Fol. 2r has a decorated architectural frame with floral decorations; at the bottom of the fol. is the coat of arms of the Trivulzio family and the note of possession of Giovanni Giacomo Trivulzio.
Decorated and historiated initials for RVF 1 (fol. 12r) and for Triumphus Amoris I (fol. 153r). The author of the decorations and illuminations is Francesco di Antonio del Chierico.
Petrella 2006, 25-28; Porro 1884, 342; P.MI 1904, 322-24
***
De la Mare 1985a, I, 460, 484-86; Santoro 1965, 231