Walters Ms. W.504, Patent of Nobility granted by Philip III to Don Luys Nuñez Perez

W.504

Patent of Nobility granted by Philip III to Don Luys Nuñez Perez

This lavishly bound and decorated manuscript was given by King Philip III of Spain to a nobleman named Don Luys Nuñez Perez, and is dated to July 10, 1608. It is housed in its original box, which was made in the shape of a book and closely resembles the manuscript itself. The manuscript is also accompanied by the official lead seal of the king. Due to its fragile condition, it was only possible to image parts of the manuscript.

Dated July 10, 1608 CE

Grenada, Spain

Book

Historical

Legal

The primary language in this manuscript is Spanish; Castilian.

Parchment

Medium-weight, cream-colored parchment

Foliation: i+94+i

Modern pencil foliation, upper right corners, rectos

Formula: Undetermined due to the fragile nature of the manuscript

Comments:

22.3 cm wide by 31.5 cm high

14.5 cm wide by 24.5 cm high

1. Columns: 1
2. Ruled lines: 27
3. Ruled in red ink

1. Title: Patent of Nobility
2. Incipit: De Castilla
3. Hand note: Gotica rotunda, often calligraphed or with gold strokes; names and other words in roman capitals
4. Decoration note: Three full-page miniatures; one text miniature; three historiated initials; twenty-four decorated initials (3-8 lines); fifty-six decorated text headings; text in black ink

fol. 6v:

1. 
2. Title: Crucifixion, with marginal Old Testament scenes and saints
3. Form: Full-page miniature with ornamental border

fol. 7r:

1. 
2. Title: Coronation of the Virgin with King Phillip III, Don Luys Nuñez Perez, and Queen Margaret
3. Form: Full-page miniature with ornamental border
4. Comment:

   The inscription in the cartouche reads "POR LA GRACIA."

fol. 7v:

1. 
2. Title: Coat of arms
3. Form: Full-page miniature with ornamental border
4. Comment:

   The inscription reads "IN SILENTIO ET SPE."

fol. 89r:

1. 
2. Title: Portrait of King Philip III
3. Form: Text miniature

The binding is original.

Tan calfskin on pasteboard with heavy gold tooling in a number of decorative and figural patterns; with original box, in the shape of a book, similarly decorated, with recess for included seal; circular lead seal (80 mm in diameter), with inscription on obverse ("PHILIPPUS III. D. G. CASTELLAE LEGIONIS NAVARRAE GRANIAE") and arms of Philip and another inscription (REX TOLETI GALICI...) on the reverse

Given by King Philip III of Spain to Don Luys Nuñez Perez of Grenada, Spain, on July 10, 1608

Gruel and Engelmann collection, Paris, late nineteenth or early twentieth century; their bookplate on front pastedown, inscribed "no. 906"

Henry Walters, Baltimore, purchased from Gruel and Engelmann before 1931

Walters Art Museum, 1931, by Henry Walters' bequest

De Ricci, S. and W.J. Wilson. Census of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in the United States and Canada. 2 vols. New York: H.W. Wilson Company, 1935, p. 856, no. 555.

Cataloger: Walters Art Museum curatorial staff and researchers since 1934

Editor: Herbert, Lynley

Copy editor: Dibble, Charles

Conservators: Owen, Linda; Quandt, Abigail

Contributors: Bockrath, Diane; Emery, Doug; Joyal, Stephanie; Noel, William; Tabritha, Ariel; Toth, Michael B.

The Walters Art Museum

Licensed for use under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported Access Rights, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/legalcode. It is requested that copies of any published articles based on the information in this data set be sent to the curator of manuscripts, The Walters Art Museum, 600 North Charles Street, Baltimore MD 21201.