• Detail of a white vine initial 'Q'(uid) at the beginning of book 5 of Augustine's De musica., Various texts including Augistine's De musica (ff. 1-121)

that also established the British Museum; the Harley manuscripts form one of the foundation collections of the British Library. White vine initial Giovanni Aretino (colophons on ff. 121v, 127v) Giovanni Aretino Various authors including Augustine Venice Italy, N. E. (Venice)

• Illuminated initial 'C'(ai[us])., Epistolae (index Letters)

with an inscription on f. 1. Ruled in hardpoint. Quire signatures: A, B, etc. Written in Italy, possibly Venice c. 1420, according to unpublished notes of A. C. de la Mare at the Bodleian Library, Oxford. 8 large initials in

• Decorated initial 'E'(t si nego) and full border with flowers, cornucopias, candelabras, dragon heads and a defaced coat of arms, at the beginning of the text., Rhetorica ad Herennium (index De ratione dicendi ad Herennium)

Mare at the Bodleian Library, Oxford, this manuscript was made in the 3rd quarter of the 15th century, possibly in Venice. Large initial in gold on a blue panel with foliate decoration, combined with a full border with flowers, cornucopias,

• White vine initial 'T'(erentii), Vita Terentii (ff. 1-3v); Comoediae (index Comedies) (ff. 3v-169)

'Loci s. Francisci a Vinea Venetis ex testamento Io. Francisci Vaca' (f. 1).The Library of San Francesco della Vigna at Venice: given by Giovanni Francesco Vaca (see above).A monastic library founded or endowed by the Guicciardini (see Wright 1972).John Gibson

• Miniature of Hercules and Cerberus and historiated initial of a lady in profile at the beginning of Hercules furens., Tragoediae (index Tragedies), with marginal gloss

beginning of Hercules furens. Catchwords written horizontally.This manuscript is dated to the early 15th century, possibly Venice, according to unpublished notes of A. C. de la Mare at the Bodleian Library, Oxford.Each tragedy is introduced by a prologue. Miniature (damaged),

• White vine initial 'Q'(uamuis) at the beginning of Juvenal's Satire 3., Satires (index Saturae, Satirae), imperfect

their contemporary value) under the Act of Parliament that also established the British Museum; the Harley manuscripts form one of the foundation collections of the British Library. White vine initial Juvenal (index Decimus Junius Juvenalis) Venice Italy, ?N. E. (?Venice)

• Headpiece with foliate and geometric decoration and decorated initial., 'Grammatica Isagoge Graece', Books 1-4

Decorated initials, rubrics and marginalia in brown. 'Grammatica Isagoge Graece', Books 1-4 Written by Georgios Tribizias, a Greek priest in Venice (ff. 1-146; see Gamillscheg and Harlfinger 1978 and 1981).Partly written at Padua by Pietro Bravi of Verona (index Petrus

• Historiated initial 'S'(oror) showing Seneca holding an open book at the beginning of Seneca's Tragedies, with a three-sided foliate border., Tragoediae (index Tragedies), with argumenta

catalogue (see ~Bibliotheca Smithiana seu catalogus librorum Josephi Smithii Angli per cognomina authorum dispositus, Addenda, & Corrigenda in superiori Catalogo~ (Venice: Pasquali, 1755), p. 58, col. 1); sold to King George III, along with the bulk of Smith's library and

• Historiated initial 'V'(oi) at the beginning of Petrarch's Il Canzoniere, with an image of Petrarch, shown before a lectern with an open book before him in the bowl of the initial, and a miniature on the right-hand side of the page of Petrarch's muse, Laura, beside a laurel tree, framed with a three-sided border made up of foliate scrolls and gold balls., Il Canzoniere

1738, d. 1820).Given to the British Museum by King George IV in 1823 as part of the library of King George III. Petrarch Andrea da Badagio Andrea da Badagio Cristoforo Cortese Petrarch (index Francesco Petrarca) Venice Italy, N. E. (Venice)

• Title page with coloured pen scrolling line fillers and ivy leaves, the display capitals in the alternating colours of blue, olive green, mauve, and pink, and gold initial 'A'(d) with white vine scroll decoration, of Augustine's City of God., De civitate dei (index City of God)

with the arms of the Donati family of Venice inside a wreath in the upper border and hanging from the outside border, and the arms possibly of the Capodilista family of Venice inside a wreath in the lower border (f.

• Illuminated white vine initial 'G'(loriosissimam) at the beginning of Augustine's first book of the City of God., De civitate dei (index City of God)

with the arms of the Donati family of Venice inside a wreath in the upper border and hanging from the outside border, and the arms possibly of the Capodilista family of Venice inside a wreath in the lower border (f.

• Illuminated initial 'D'(i) with a flower in the bowl of the letter and gold balls extending into the margin at the beginning of Seneca's Medea., Tragoediae (index Tragedies), with argumenta

catalogue (see ~Bibliotheca Smithiana seu catalogus librorum Josephi Smithii Angli per cognomina authorum dispositus, Addenda, & Corrigenda in superiori Catalogo~ (Venice: Pasquali, 1755), p. 58, col. 1); sold to King George III, along with the bulk of Smith's library and

• Historiated initial 'I'(vo) of Petrarch holding a closed book, and a foliate border with gold balls, at the beginning of Petrarch's 264th canzone., Il Canzoniere

d. 1820).Given to the British Museum by King George IV in 1823 as part of the library of King George III. Historiated initial Andrea da Badagio Andrea da Badagio Cristoforo Cortese Petrarch (index Francesco Petrarca) Venice Italy, N. E. (Venice)

• Illuminated intial 'Q'(uanquam) and full border with heraldic arms (of the Lan family of Treviso ?), supported by sphinxes., Orationes, etc.

son Charles Parr Burney in 1818. Illuminated initial and full border with heraldic arms Perhaps entirely by a scribe who wrote three other manuscripts for the Erizzo family of Venice. Marcus Tullius Cicero, Pseudo-Cicero, and others Italy Italy, N.E. (Venice)

• Illuminated initial 'S'(i), with unusual colours and interlace motifs, at the beginning of Cicero's Pro Sestio., Orationes, etc.

part of Burney’s library from his son Charles Parr Burney in 1818. Illuminated initial Perhaps entirely by a scribe who wrote three other manuscripts for the Erizzo family of Venice. Marcus Tullius Cicero, Pseudo-Cicero, and others Italy Italy, N.E. (Venice)

• Inhabited illuminated initial 'Q'(ue), depicting a clothed cherub holding a shield (with the arms of the Lan family of Treviso ?), Orationes, etc.

part of Burney’s library from his son Charles Parr Burney in 1818. Inhabited initial Perhaps entirely by a scribe who wrote three other manuscripts for the Erizzo family of Venice. Marcus Tullius Cicero, Pseudo-Cicero, and others Italy Italy, N.E. (Venice)

• Illuminated initials 'A'(dversus) and 'P'(rimum), at the beginning of Leonardo Bruni's Latin translation of Demosthenes's Oratio pro Ctesiphonte (or De corona)., Orationes, etc.

part of Burney’s library from his son Charles Parr Burney in 1818. Illuminated initials Perhaps entirely by a scribe who wrote three other manuscripts for the Erizzo family of Venice. Marcus Tullius Cicero, Pseudo-Cicero, and others Italy Italy, N.E. (Venice)

• Illuminated initial 'A'(rma) at the beginning of Virgil's Aeneid, with coloured foliage; in the margins foliate decoration with gold balls, and in the lower margin the arms of the Machiavelli family quartered with other arms surrounded by a wreath., Bucolica (index Bucolics, Eclogues), Georgica (index Georgics), Aeneis (index Aeneid)(imperfect), with Argumenta, prologue, and verses

Machiavelli family quartered with other arms (f. 59). Notes by Paulus Manutius (b. 1512, d. 1574), printer and scholar of Venice (contemporary note, f. 2v, inscription: ‘Pauli Amicorum L(iber)’ (f. 2); the library of the Manutius family dispersed after the

• Text page in Virgil's Aeneid., Bucolica (index Bucolics, Eclogues), Georgica (index Georgics), Aeneis (index Aeneid)(imperfect), with Argumenta, prologue, and verses

Machiavelli family quartered with other arms (f. 59). Notes by Paulus Manutius (b. 1512, d. 1574), printer and scholar of Venice (contemporary note, f. 2v, inscription: ‘Pauli Amicorum L(iber)’ (f. 2); the library of the Manutius family dispersed after the

• Illuminated initial 'T'(ityre), at the beginning of Virgil's Eclogues., Bucolica (index Bucolics, Eclogues), Georgica (index Georgics), Aeneis (index Aeneid)(imperfect), with Argumenta, prologue, and verses

Machiavelli family quartered with other arms (f. 59). Notes by Paulus Manutius (b. 1512, d. 1574), printer and scholar of Venice (contemporary note, f. 2v, inscription: ‘Pauli Amicorum L(iber)’ (f. 2); the library of the Manutius family dispersed after the