Details

Subjects:

Serantoni, Giuseppe.
Violante Beatrix, Princess of Bavaria.
Medici, Lorenzo de'.
Accounting -- Italy -- 18th century.
Textile industry -- Italy -- Early works to 1800.
Textile industry.
Accounting.
Italy.

Form/Genre:

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

Language:

Italian.

Summary:

Ledger of accounts, debtors and creditors of Giuseppe Serantoni (referred to as cincagliere), a merchant specializing in the sale of luxury household and personal accessories, including textile products, semi-precious jewelry, glassware, miniatures, furs and ornaments. Often includes the nature of a given credit or debt and its amount, as well as listing the names of the individuals that hold the debt or credit, the most important being the princess Violante Beatrix of Bavaria, wife of Ferdinando de' Medici; Lorenzo de' Medici; Alessandro Strozzi; Antonio Spinelli; Cosimo Venturi; Francesco Frescobaldi; Antonio Gherardi; Giovanbattista Ricci; Bernardo Rucellai; Luca Antonio Morandini; Giovanbattista Alamanni; and others. Most of the counterparts are members of the Florentine aristocracy or merchants themselves, who often purchased accessories from Serantoni and paid him at a later date, which resulted in debts. The items sold by Serantoni are all described in great detail, and the price for each item is also indicated.

Notes:

Ms. codex.
Title supplied by cataloger.
Foliation: Paper, i (paper) + 176; each folio has the same number on both recto and verso; rectos numbered [1], 2-77, [78-176], contemporary numeration in ink, modern numeration in pencil, upper right recto; versos numbered 1-77, [78-176], contemporary numeration in ink, modern numeration in pencil, upper left verso (f. 79-176 are blank but ruled).
Layout: Written in 2 columns with vertical bounding lines in lead; the large central column with a brief description of the transaction, including the name of the counterparts involved in the transaction, and the smaller one on the right with the amount received or disbursed.
Script: Written in a cursive script, perhaps by multiple hands.
Watermark: Unidentified watermark containing a Greek cross, a circle and the initials G B underneath.
Binding: Contemporary parchment, no. 54 on spine; the heading Giornaletto on upper cover; lower cover wraps around upper cover with remnants of leather ties.
Origin: Written in Florence between 1714 (f. 1r) and 1717 (f. 77v).
Forms part of: Gondi-Medici Business Records.

Penn Provenance:

Sold by Bernard M. Rosenthal, 1963.

Cited in:

Described in Zacour, Norman P. and Hirsch, Rudolf. Catalogue of Manuscripts in the Libraries of the University of Pennsylvania to 1800: Supplement A (4), Library Chronicle 37 (1971), no. 1, p. 19 (Ms. Lea 545).

Cited as:

UPenn Ms. Codex 1530

OCLC:

367633750