Title: Two Leaves from Cicero’s De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum, and Somnium Scipionis, Circa 1460-1470
Author: Marcus Tullius Cicero
Condition: Very Good
Two mid to late 15th century leaves from Cicero’s De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum, and Somnium Scipionis, written in Latin, produced in Italy. The text comprises of De Finibus from 4.19–21, and the last several lines of Somnium Scipionis. The leaves are ruled and written in a humanistic bookhand.
De Finibus, also known as On the Ends of Good and Evil, is a Socratic dialogue, consisting of three dialogues over five books, in which Cicero discusses the philosophical views of Epicureanism, Stoicism, and the Platonism of Antiochus of Ascalon, and Soticism.
Somnium Scipionis, also known as the Dream of Scipio, is the sixth book of De re publica, and describes a dream vision of the Roman general Scipio Aemilianus, set two years before he oversaw the destruction of Carthage in 146 BC.
These leaves have a long history of provenance, acquired from the Colker Collection, previously acquired from Bernard & Quaritch in 1984, being one of the manuscripts from the collection of Otto Ege (HL 143), sold at Preston A. Perry’s New York Sale in April 21 1908, Sir Thomas Phillipps’ collection (MS 4548), and Angelo Niccolini, circa 1500.
One leaf is written in a 28-line format, and the other line, an 8-line format.
Two leaves on vellum, 25.4 x 17.5 cm
These leaves are in very good shape, with minimal rubbing and wear to the vellum.