Biblioteca Nazionale Universitaria
Turin
Italy
The ms. was severely damaged by a fire in 1904. The upper section of each fol. has been completely burnt and destroyed. Remaining areas of the fols. are less damaged and have been attached to modern paper fols: normally only half of the page is still readable. Its status of conservation has worsened dramatically due to the binding process, which has altered the original sequence of the fols. It is possible to reconstruct the original order of the ms. thanks to Peyron (1904, 45-47), who described it before the fire and the modern binding: Mortis II, Fame Ia, Amoris II, Amoris I, Amoris III.127-end, Amoris IV, Pudicitie, Mortis I, Fame I, Fame II, Fame III, Temporis, Eternitatis. We lack lines from Triumphus Amoris III due to the loss of some fols., that were already missing when Peyron described the ms.
The commentary is extensive and provides a very detailed analysis of the text of the Triumphi. The two main interests developed by the author are the understanding and contextualisation of the text, and the investigation of its many historical and mythological references. The anonymous commentator provides rich biographical sketches of the historical and mythological figures referred to by Petrarch. Moreover, the commentator is particularly interested in providing commentary that focuses on religious concerns regarding the afterlife. The annotations by the same hand that transcribed the text have a complementary relationship with the commentary. They provide concise information on names mentioned, and point to additional information contained in the commentary (‘Volta e troueraj historia insophonisba’: fol. 7r); they also clarify the meaning of some passages. Although mostly in Italian, the commentary and the annotations are partly written in Latin; some maniculae.