Early Printing & Manuscripts / Manuscripts & Documents

[THOMAS À BECKET]. [Diego Afonso de MIRANDA, translator]. Historea da vida e martyrio do glorioso Sancto Thomas Arcebispo, Senhor de Cantuaria, Primas de Inglaterra, legado perpetuo da sancta see apostolica, trelada da novamente de Latim em lingoagé Portugues.
(Colophon: Coimbra, João Alvarez, printer to the University, 12 November) 1554. 4to. With several woodcut decorated initials. With the 4 preliminary leaves in facsimile. 20th-century Portuguese tree calf, gold-tooled spine, red spine label, brown sprinkled edges, marbled endpapers. [8], “CCCI” [= 303], [1 blank], [20] pp. Full description

[BIBLE - MANUSCRIPT LEAF]. [Latin manuscript leaf on parchment with (parts of) Leviticus 5-8].
[The Netherlands?], [late 14th century or early 15th century?]. Folio (26.5 x 40 cm). Written in a neat littera textualis in 2 columns of 50 lines. With 3 lombardic initials executed in blue or light pink with white filigree work on a gold ground, with bars in the same colours with white filigree ornamental patterns originating from the initials, with some small twigs springing from them, ending at the head and bottom of those bars in a larger twig with small "flowers" or "buds" in blue, pink or gold. Also with the numbers of the chapters and running heads "LEVI" written in red and blue. [1] leaf. Full description

JOÃO I, King of Portugal. [Judgement in a legal suit, incipit:] Dom Johann ... Rey de Portugal ...
Coimbra, 3 April 1388. Document in Portuguese, written in brown ink on sheepskin parchment (23 x 44 cm) in an upright gothic cursive, with 16 full lines of text (plus one word on a 17th line and the signatures of the two judges). Full description

MAURITS, Prince of Orange. [Declaration for Jan de Roo].
[The Hague], 4 December 1589. 1mo (41 x 31.5). Document written in brown ink on one side of a whole sheet of paper in an upright gothic cursive hand, with the autograph signature "Maurice de Nassau" and with his armorial seal (3 x 2.5 cm) stamped on a slip of paper over red sealing wax. With (separately added) Maurits's signature clipped out of another document and mounted on a paper slip. [1] leaf, written on one side. Full description

[AUTOGRAPH]. MELANCHTHON, Philipp. [Autograph letter, signed, from Philipp Melanchthon to Sebastian Boetius].
[Wittenberg], Easter [14 April 1555]. Folio (19.5 x 32 cm). In Latin. [2] pp. Full description

[MINIATURE - GERMAN]. [The Arrest of Christ].
[Flanders (Bruges?), or Nürnberg, ca. 1520]. Miniature painted on vellum (7.8 x 5.6 cm) in numerous colours, highlighted with gold and in a gold border, probably from a book of hours, but with no text. Full description

[MANUSCRIPT]. PHILIP (FELIPE) II, King of Spain. [Mortgage agreement, granting Jan Hanneman, Steward General of North Holland, the rights to the tithes of the King's lands of Voorburg and Voorschoten].
The Hague and Brussels, 1557 (with additions to 1565). Folio (36 x 25.5 cm). Manuscript mortgage agreement, signed by King Philip's representatives, written in brown ink on parchment in a nearly upright cursive gothic hand. With a typescript transcription of the main text and an interlinear translation in Spanish. [2 blank], 9, [1 blank] pp. Full description