[Ledger of Medici accounts].

Format:

Book

Manuscript

Language:

Italian

Subjects (All):

Medici, House of--Archives.

Medici, House of.

Medici, Andrea de'.

Medici, Vincenzo de'.

Accounting--Italy--16th century.

Accounting.

Italy.

Genre:

codices (bound manuscripts)

accounts

credit records

ledgers (account books)

Manuscripts, Italian.

Manuscripts, Renaissance.

Archives.

Penn Provenance:

Sold by Bernard M. Rosenthal, 1961.

Physical Description:

192 leaves : paper ; 329 x 232 mm bound to 343 x 235 mm + 1 note

Place of Publication:

[Italy], 1581-1583.

Language Note:

Italian.

Summary:

Ledger of accounts of the brothers Andrea and Vincenzo de' Medici, sons of Carlo de' Medici (p.158), for the years 1581-1583. Often includes the nature of a given transaction and its amount, as well as listing the names of the individuals that act as counterparts in the transaction. In certain cases the transactions are in kind (examples of the produce used for these payments are chestnuts, grains, cattle feed, cattle, swine) but cash transactions are not uncommon. In spite of the upper cover, which presents the word Possesione, this is not a property ledger, but rather a ledger of accounts regarding specific properties, either the Valdenievole estate, located between Florence and Pistoia, or those properties located outside the Valdenievole area. The counterparts in the transactions are often employees or tenants of the two de' Medici brothers, and as such can pay in kind, or receive in kind payments. Other expenses are related to the management of the properties for the purchase of fertilizers and manure, or cattle, grains, feed and other produce.

Contents:

1. p.1-111: [Spese] fuora della possesione di Valdenievole e delle spese attenante a bestiami et altre.

2. p.112-158: [Spese attenante] alla possesione di Valdenievole.

Notes:

Ms. codex.

Title supplied by cataloger.

Pagination: Paper, i (paper) + 192 + i (paper); versos numbered i-158, [159-192], contemporary pagination in ink, modern pagination in pencil, upper left verso; rectos numbered [i], i-cxxxxviii, [cxxxxviiii], cl-clviii, [clviiii-cxci], upper right recto (leaves 159-192 are blank but ruled). Each opening has a matched Arabic numeral on the left and a Roman numeral on the right.

Layout: Written in 2 columns with vertical bounding lines in lead; the large column on the left with the transaction and a brief description of it, and the smaller one on the right with its amount in Arabic numerals. In the occurrence of both a debt and a credit with a specific counterpart, credits are usually listed on the left page and debts on the right page of an opening, with the same individuals appearing as debtors or creditors on facing pages.

Script: Written in a cursive script perhaps by multiple hands.

Watermark: Similar to Briquet, Monts 11938 (Lucca, 1582), but with a tree instead of the letter F.

Binding: Contemporary vellum, no. 96 on spine; the heading L[ib]ro di possesione, no. 10 and letter B with decorative penwork on upper cover; lower cover with remnants of leather ties wraps around upper cover; decorative leatherwork on spine.

Origin: Written in Italy between 1581 (p. 1) and 1583 (p. 93).

Forms part of: Gondi-Medici Business Records.

Cited in:

Described in Zacour, Norman P. and Hirsch, Rudolf. Catalogue of Manuscripts in the Libraries of the University of Pennsylvania to 1800 (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1965), p. 196 (Ms. Lea 243).

Cited as:

UPenn Ms. Codex 1299

OCLC:

297444414