Laurentianus plut. 58.3 – Lu

Previous descriptions: Bandini (1764–1770 vol. 2, 440–1).

Reproductions: Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana

Family: e

Siglum: Lu

Shelfmark: Laurentianus plut. 58.3

Date: Third quarter of the 15th century

Format: paper, 280×210, III+139 ff.

Material: the manuscript is in a good state of conservation. There are only some minor stains on the first folios.

Binding: –

Watermarks: two crossed arrows throughout the manuscript, similar to Briquet 6271 (Venice 1467) and Piccard Werkzeug & Waffen XII 2334 (Venice 1471); at the beginning it is possible to find a different watermark, scissors, similar to Piccard Werkzeug & Waffen III 709 (Aschaffenburg, Frankfurt am Main, Kronberg 1456–1457).

Scribes: the entire manuscript was copied by Georgius TriviziasGeorgius Trivizias (RGK I 73 = II 94 = III 123). The entire manuscript, except the end of Book 9 (after 9.50) and Book 10, was annotated in the margins by Angelo PolizianoAngelo Poliziano (RGK I 4 = II 4 = III 4), mostly with notabilia.

Annotations: –

1 (ff. 1r‒139v) Pollux, Onomasticon. No title, but some space left blank. Incipit: ὦ παῖ πατρὸς ἀγαθοῦ (1.1). Explicit: κόρημα, κιβωτόν, λύχνον (10.192), but the same copyist added μέλαν μελανοδόχον καλάμη (10.60; see Ambrosianus M 94 sup.Ambr. M 94 sup. (Ab), where a second hand wrote the same words at the end of the work). Contains books 1 (ff. 1r‒21v), 2 (ff. 21v‒38v), 3 (ff. 38v‒46v), 4 (ff. 46v‒59r), 5 (ff. 59r‒68v), 6 (ff. 68v‒81v), 7 (ff. 81v‒95r), 8 (ff. 95r‒108v), 9 (ff. 108r‒122v), and 10 (ff. 122v‒139v). Chapter titles and initial letters are rubricated.

ff. 144–145: blank.

The manuscript was copied in its entirety by Georgius Trivizias, a Cretan priest of the Greek community in Venice and one of the most prolific copyists in Bessarion’s circle. Lu is clearly derived from the textual tradition of Matritensis 4625Matr. 4625 (E), belonging to Constantinus Lascaris, but it is no mere apographon. Indeed, it seems that Trivizias, or perhaps his model, contaminated this manuscript with Heid. Pal. gr. 375Heid. Pal. gr. 375 (C) and Ambrosianus M 94 sup.Ambr. M 94 sup. to fill in the final gaps in E, a feature shared by the later manuscript Bodleianus D’Orville 60Oxon. Bodl. D’Orville 60 (Or), written by Trivizias too, together with Iohannes Rhosus. This manuscript then belonged to Angelo PolizianoAngelo Poliziano, who studied it very thoroughly and wrote many marginal annotations, mostly notabilia with names of authors quoted in the text and relevant words. It is very likely that he also drew material from this manuscript for part of his erudite work, the MiscellaneaMiscellanea (Poliziano), along with either manuscript Laurentianus plut. 56.12Laur. plut. 56.12 (Xd) or its copy Laurentianus Aediles 224Laur. Aedil. 224 (see Daneloni 2005).