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De Re Militari

This manuscript from northern Italy in the 1590s contains an illustrated version of Roberto Valturio's 1472 book De re militari, one of the most important texts on military technology in the Renaissance. The manuscript closely follows the illustrations from the original 1472 printed edition, which are usually attributed to Matteo de' Pasti. The illustrations depict a wide variety of military equipment and were an important source for other scholars like Leonardo da Vinci. The manuscript is complete with 380 leaves and 87 illustrations, and is in good physical condition despite some marginal staining.

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428 views2 pages

De Re Militari

This manuscript from northern Italy in the 1590s contains an illustrated version of Roberto Valturio's 1472 book De re militari, one of the most important texts on military technology in the Renaissance. The manuscript closely follows the illustrations from the original 1472 printed edition, which are usually attributed to Matteo de' Pasti. The illustrations depict a wide variety of military equipment and were an important source for other scholars like Leonardo da Vinci. The manuscript is complete with 380 leaves and 87 illustrations, and is in good physical condition despite some marginal staining.

Uploaded by

Stephanos
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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VALTURIUS, Robertus (1413-1484), De re militari, illustrated manuscript on paper [northern

Italy, c.1590s] în Illuminated Manuscripts from the Collection of Maurice Burrus (1882-1959)

VALTURIUS, Robertus (1413-1484), De re militari, illustrated manuscript on paper


[northern Italy, c.1590s]

A striking 16th-century illustrated manuscript of one of the most important books on military
technology: Roberto Valturio’s De re militari.

PROVENANCE:
(1) The cursive script is late 16th-century, as is the (German) paper stock: the
watermark with the fleur-de-lis and fish, localisable to Strasbourg, matches Piccard 13,
Abtlg. 1, Nr. 595 and dates from 1592. (2) ?19th-century sticker on spine, ‘No 105’. (3)
MAURICE BURRUS, no 112. Purchased from Maggs in 1940.

CONTENT:
Table, Elenchus et index rerum militari[um], ff.1-6; Preface to Sigismundus Pandulphus
[Malatesta] ff.7-12; De re militari, beginning ‘Qu[or]um itaq[ue] inter o[mn]es priscae
auctoritatis viros’ ff.12-387; Marcus Riminensis, poem addressed to Robertus Valturius,
beginning: ‘Valturri nostrae princeps cultissime linguae’, ff.387v-388.

Valturio wrote his treatise on warcraft while serving as engineer to Sigismondo Pandolfo
Malatesta of Rimini (to whom the work is dedicated), and it swiftly became a primary
handbook for Renaissance princes and military leaders: Leonardo da Vinci made use of
it while acting as chief engineer to Cesare Borgia. The illustrations depict a stunning
variety of military equipment ranging from catapults and battering-rams to revolving gun
turrets and even a prototype submarine.

ILLUSTRATION:
The original illustrations for Valturio’s 1472 edition – ‘the first true Italian book
illustrations’ are usually ascribed to Matteo de’ Pasti, a medallist and illuminator also in
the service of Sigismondo Pandolfo. The illustrations in the present manuscript – both in
order and composition – closely follow those of the 1472 edition (with the exception of
the flags on ff.289v-291v, here with some creative additions such as a centaur and
battling knights). But the use of a flamboyant and bright palette and more detailed
definition of each individual scene distinguish them from their printed counterparts.

The illustrations are on ff.44v, 152, 152v, 347v, 248, 249, 249v, 250v, 251, 253, 253v,
254, 255, 255v, 256, 256v, 257, 257v, 258, 258v, 259, 259v, 260, 260v, 261, 261v, 262,
262v, 263, 263v, 264, 264v, 265, 265v, 266, 266v, 267, 267v, 268, 268v, 269, 269v,
270, 270v, 272, 272v, 273v, 275, 275v, 276, 276v, 277, 278, 278v, 279, 279v, 280,
280v, 281v, 282, 282v, 283v, 284, 284v, 285, 285v, 286, 288v, 289v, 290v, 291, 291v,
303, 304, 312, 314, 314v, 315, 315v, 316, 316v, 317, 317v, 318v, 319, 319v, 320v.

For the 1472 edition see HC *15847; BMC VII, 948 (IB. 30705-6); BSB-Ink V-52; Goff V-
88; GW M49412; IGI 10114; Klebs 1014.1; PMM 10; Stillwell Awakening, 897; Sander
7481; Schaefer 346.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION:


380 x 252mm. 388 leaves, COMPLETE, catchwords survive, 28 lines, ruled space 320 x
180mm. EIGHTY-SEVEN ILLUSTRATIONS, many of which full-page (occasional
marginal staining and offsetting of text). Contemporary limp vellum blind-stamped
binding (slightly stained and warped).

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