St. Ambrose of Milan. - Ambrose, Saint, Bishop of Milan, -397; Kane, Grenville, 1854-1943; Martini, Giuseppe, 1870-1944; Ambrose, Saint, Bishop of Milan, -397.; Ambrose, Saint, Bishop of Milan, -397.; Ambrose, Saint, Bishop of Milan, -397.; Princeton University. Library ([Italy] : [Milo de Carraria of Padua])
3.70r-99v: “Incipit liber beati Ambrosi episcopi De fuga seculi. Frequens nobis est de fugiendo seculo isto sermo atque utinam quam facilis sermo tam cautus et sollicitus affectus ...” Explicit: “... quia declinare potuerunt qui per penitentiam sibi spem locauerunt euadendi et recontiliati omnis future fidem hause- rint. Per christum dominum nostrum. Amen. Finis libri De fuga seculi.”
Script: Humanistica antiqua.
Decoration: The manuscript was decorated in two different styles, presumably at different times. De Isaac et anima opens on fol. 1r with a 10-line yellow and red initial I, with white curling vine-stem foliage, on two cutout square fields, blue above, maroon below. De bono mortis opens with an 8-line yellow and red initial Q, filled with 12 white plumes or foliage on blue ground, set on a square maroon field, fol. 38r. Another artist created the 10-line maroon initial F on fol. 70r opening De fuga seculi, filled with blue, green, and reddish-orange lily-like flowers on ochre background, projecting into margin of green and reddish-orange foliage, on gold leaf outer cutout square, outlined fine black ink, with 3 pen-decorated gold discs decorated in pen with dots and other extensions.
France, 18th century. Black morocco, gilt, double lines framing edges, double lines for central rectangle with floral stamps at four corners, edges decorated, 5 bands, floral stamps on spine; edges trimmed and gilt; marbled endpapers in blue, pink, and ochre. Spine title: “d. ambr. mccccxxxiv.”
Kane MS. 14, Manuscripts Division, Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Princeton University Library.
Kane MS. 14 was produced in Milan. The colophon on fol. 69v attests to that portion of the manuscript having been written in Milan (1434) by Milo de Carraria of Padua for Guglielmo da Casale of Montferrat (d. 1442); The manuscript's first owner was a general in the Franciscan order, 1430-1442, who was buried at Santa Croce, Florence. The manuscript's intermediate provenance is unknown. In 1920 the New York bookseller Giuseppe Martini (1870-1944) sold the manuscript to Grenville Kane (1854-1943), of Tuxedo Park, N.Y. Kane's bookplate is on the inside front cover and his dated pencil note of acquisition on the second flyleaf recto. The Kane Collection was acquired by the Princeton University Library from Kane's heirs in February 1946.
Medieval & Renaissance manuscripts in the Princeton University Library
Keywords: Christian life -- Early works to 1800.; Christian ethics -- Early works to 1800.; Spiritual life -- Christianity -- Early works to 1800.; Manuscripts, Latin (Medieval and modern) -- Italy; Manuscripts, Latin (Medieval and modern) -- New Jersey -- Princeton; Illumination of books and manuscripts