B_OB_MS685 - Cronache de singniori di Fiandra e de loro advenimenti [titel incipit]
Cronache de singniori di Fiandra e de loro advenimenti [titel incipit]
Gigli, Carlo - ca. 1400-ca. 1467 - auteur (dubium)
Rapondi, Geoffredo - fl. 1430-1456 - auteur (dubium)
Inc. (f. 1r): 'In nomine Domini Amen. Et ab ejus incharnazione Mo CCCCo LIJ die XXVa in sepulcro vivorum Brugis'; expl. (f. 210r): 'nella sua disiderata per noi gratia et simigliantemente per luj uerso diquelli di Bruggia si fecie gratiosamente il simile'
Bevat de oudst bekende kaart van het graafschap Vlaanderen (ff. 208v-209r)
Topstuk van het Culturele Erfgoed van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap (Ministerieel Besluit 10 maart 2008)
A relatively recent acquisition, Manuscript 685 was bought in 1988 from a private collection in Florence, Italy. The manuscript holds an Italian translation of the Excellente cronike van Vlaenderen, a fifteenth century narrative on the history of the county of Flanders. Although the text is found in a great many copies, the present copy is unique and valuable in several ways. Firstly, it is the sole witness of an Italian tradition of this text. The translator, an Italian merchant living in Bruges, undertook the work to inform the readers of important events in Flemish history. It is likely that this copy, after finding its way to the intended audience back in Italy, remained there until its acquisition by the Public Library Bruges. There is no evidence that the text enjoyed a lot of popularity, and it was not consulted by later chroniclers. Secondly, it is the oldest dated and localized copy of the Cronike (written in Bruges in 1452) and thus an important witness in determining the history of the text. Lastly, the copy includes a bifolium with a map of Flanders, measuring ca. 40 x 30 cm and drawn by the author himself. This is the oldest map of the county. Due to this map, the manuscript has been awarded the title of 'Topstuk van het Culturele Erfgoed van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap' in 2008. The text itself is quite plain, written in a single column per page in a cursive script known as mercantesca. Both the headings and the initial of the chapters are written in red and green ink. The copy is assumed to be an autograph, as the translation has been corrected in multiple places and additions are found in the margins. The manuscript is bound in an early 20th-century half leather binding and wooden boards. [Summary by Dr. Mark Vermeer]