Title devised by cataloger. Manuscript codex Collation: 74 (paper): 1-5¹² + 6¹⁴ Foliation: Modern foliation in pencil in upper right corner (1-74). Signatures: Two sets of contemporary signatures in ink in lower right corner: quires signed a-f, with the first half of leaves in each quire foliated in Hindu-Arabic numerals (a1-a6, b1-b6, c1-c6, d1-d6, e1-e6, f1-f7), probably by the scribe; quires signed a-f, with the first half of leaves in each quire except the first one foliated in Roman numerals (a, ai-av, b, bi-bv, c, ci-cv, d, di-dv... Catchwords: Horizontal catchwords in bottom right corner on folios 12v, 24v, 36v, 48v, 60r. Watermarks: Two watermarks: Coat of arms with a band and two cotises potent and counter potent (Briquet BR 1039); bull's head with eyes and nose with a single line shaft above surmounted by a six-pointed star (similar to Briquet BR14252). Layout: Written in 43-46 long lines, above top line. Ruled in lead, with full-length vertical and horizontal bounding lines. Pricking marks visible on outer margins. Script: Written by a single hand in Gothic cursive. Decoration: 5-line puzzle initial S in red and blue with red and black flourishing and a three-quarter pen-flourished bar border in red, blue and black extending from the initial on folio 1r; 2- to 17-line initials in alternating plain red and plain blue, most with geometric decoration and some with penwork in brown incorporating foliate or anthropomorphic motifs, at the beginning of chapters... Binding: Contemporary. Parchment case binding attached with primary tackets made from twisted parchment taken through tacket reinforcements of alum-tawed leather. Binding is very worn, with parchment somewhat shrunk. Evidence of early repairs, with the spine reinforced with a wide strip of checkered textile, perhaps in the eighteenth or nineteenth century. Accompanying material: A detached paper slip (173 x 117 mm) with a note by a modern hand that reads: "Aegidius Columna, Historia Trojana in Latin. Paper, early fifteenth century, 74 leaves (30 x 22 cm = 12 x 8 1/2 inches). Written in Northern Italy. Old limp vellum wrapper." Origin: Probably written in northern France in the mid-fifteenth century. Shelfmark: Lawrence, University of Kansas, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, MS E282 Historia destructionis Troiae by Guido delle Colonne is an adaptaion of Roman de Troie by Benoît de Sainte-More, which was based on the De excidio Troiae historia by Dares of Phrygia and the Ephemeridos belli Troiani [also known as De bello Troiano] by Dictys of Crete. MS E282 contains two separate loose sewing guards made up of parchment reinforcing the primary tackets, also of parchment, in each gathering. The twelve parchment sewing guards as well as the six tackets, seemingly coming from the same manuscript, are repurposed and most pieces contain texts (unidentified). In good condition despite outer edges of leaves frayed throughout, especially worse in the first and last quires. Minor foxing especially around the edges. Folios 1r and 74v soiled. Minor bookworm damage in the lower margin in the first half of the first quire. Minor water damage on the upper margin in the first half of the fourth quire and on the fore-edge in the last quire. Deckle edges... Early history of the manuscript is unknown. From the collection of Virginia Taylor (neé: Virginia Snowden Broomall), who acquired the manuscript from her father, Henry Lewis Broomall. Listed as no. 1 under "The Library of Mrs. G. Winship Taylor, Baltimore, Maryland" in the Census of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in the United States and Canada, in which it is stated that Virginia...
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