Details

Subjects:

Medici, House of -- Archives.
Medici, Andrea de'.
Medici, Vincenzo de'.
Medici, House of.
Accounting -- Italy -- 16th century.
Accounting.
Italy.

Form/Genre:

Codices.
Accounts.
Credit records.
Ledgers (account books)
Manuscripts, Italian.
Manuscripts, Renaissance.
Archives.

Language:

Italian.

Summary:

Ledger of accounts of the brothers Andrea and Vincenzo de' Medici, sons of Carlo de' Medici (p. 25), for the years 1583-1592. 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 various properties. 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.1-15: Giornale del libro [di] debitori e creditori.
2. p.25-76: Giornale del libro di possesione.

Notes:

Ms. codex.
Title supplied by cataloger.
Pagination: Paper, i (paper) + 80 + i (paper); rectos numbered i-viii, 9, x-xv, [xvi-xxiiii], xv-lxxv, [lxxvi-lxxx], contemporary pagination in ink, modern pagination in pencil, upper right recto; versos numbered 1-14, [15-24], 25-75, [76-80], upper left verso (leaves 76-80 are blank).
Layout: Written in 3 columns with vertical bounding lines in lead; the smaller column on the left with the transaction number or the year in which the transaction took place, the large central column with the transaction and a brief description of it, and the smaller one on the right with its amount in arabic numerals. In certain cases the large central column contains itemized accounts of a transaction within one entry. 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, Aigle 207 (Siena, 1594).
Binding: Contemporary vellum, no. 150 on spine; the heading Giornale, and letter C 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 1583 (p. 1) and 1592 (p. 74).
Forms part of: Gondi-Medici Business Records.

Penn Provenance:

Sold by Bernard M. Rosenthal, 1961.

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. 197 (Ms. Lea 245).

Cited as:

UPenn Ms. Codex 1301

OCLC:

297520238