DOC.13 Arezzo, March 12, 1532 (modern style)

Inventory of Rosso’s possessions left behind when he fled Arezzo in September 1529 and contained in two strongboxes at the oratory of SS. Annunziata (S. Maria delle Lagrime).

Florence, State Archives, Notarile Antecosimiano, 11784, ex-L171 (ser Michelangelo Lippi, 1525-1532), fols. 375v-376v.

[12 March 1531/32]

Inventarium renum et masseritiarum

magistri Rubei de Florentia

Eisdem anno indictione et pontificatu, die vero XII mensis Marzii.  Actum in civitate Aretii, in contrata Sancte Marie Annumptiate et in oratorio Societatis Sancte Marie disciplinatorum predicte, presentibus ibi eximiis artium et medicine dominis magistro Ruberto Ser Dominici de Alexis et magistro Melchiorre Petri de Nardis, fisicis aretinis, testibus etc.

[fol. 376r] In Dei nomine amen.  Hoc est inventarium  factum in oratorio novo Societatis Anumptiate de Arretio, ad instantiam tantum Iohannis Antonii de Lappolis, de omnibus et quibuscunque rebus et masseritiis magistri Rubei Iacobi, pictoris et civis florentini, existentibus in duobus forzeriis clausis sub clavibus penes homines dicte societatis sub firma et tuta custodia dimissis et relectis per supradictum magistrum Rubrum.

Qui Ihoannes Antonius, premisso venerabili signo crucis, in presentia mei notarii infrascripti testiumque suprascriptorum, asserens omnia et singula facere tanquam fideiussor et eo nomine dicti magistri Rubei penes dictum Societatum Anumptiate, et ad omne bonum iuris effectum confessus fuit invenisse et invenire iu dictis forzeriis existentibus ut supra in dicto novo oratorio dicte Anumptiate, infrascriptas masseritias res et bona, materno eloquio nuncupate, videlicet.

Undici pezzi de cartoni in quattro guluppi;1

uno Plinio legato in assi;2

uno Sepontino legato in assi;3

doi libriciuoli coperti con cartapecora;

Diciassette cartocci peini de varii et diversi colori;4

uno giubbone de tela bianca vechio;

uno catino de terra desegnato;5

doi desegni in assi, overo in tavole;

una carpita da tavola;

doi camisce da homo;

un altro giubbone de tela biancha;

[fol. 376v] Quattro sciugatoi da capo;

Quattro centurini da naso;

Doi veste da guanciali;

Tre pannetti da sciugar la testa;

Dieci palle de sapone moscadato da barba;

uno goluppetto in cartapecora de colore bianchetto;

uno goluppo de smalto;

una sachetta com [sic] più lettere et ultre scripture;

uno libro vocato «el Cortiggiano»;6

doi desegnetti in carta in uno guluppo, per la Cappella magiore; Ventiotto carte de desegni ignudi;

uno Victruvio sciolto;7

otto carte de desegni;

un altro [?] legato de smalto;8

uno cento de lana nero doppio;

una libretta de Nostra Donna;

uno scatolino con pennelli;

uno desegno in carta verde;

Doi sibille in carta verde;

Un altro ingudo rosso.

Quas omnes et singulas masseritias prefatus Iohannes Antonius confessus fuit ut supra invenisse in dictis forzeriis dicti magistri Rubei easque reliquit in dicto oratorio penes supradictos homines dicte Societatis.  Rogans etc.9



1 In Carroll, 1987, 25, translated as “eleven pieces of paper in four bundles,” but earlier (Carroll, 1987, 10) indicated as referring to the cartoons for the frescoes planned for the church of S. Maria delle Lagrime.  Franklin, 1994, 236, also recognized this item as meaning these fresco cartoons.  See L.26.

2 Pliny the Elder’s Naturalis historia.

3 Referring to Niccolò Perotti, Archbishop of Siponto, and hence probably to an edition of his Latin grammar, Rudimenta grammatices.  For the editions of this grammar from around 1470 on, see Hain, L., Repertorium Bibliographicum, II, 2, Paris, 1838, 64-72; see also Mercati, Giovanni, “Per la cronologia della vita e degli scritti di N. Perotti, arcivescovo di Siponto,” Studi e Testi, 44, Rome, 1925; and Percival, E. Keith, “The Place of the Rudimenta Grammatices in the History of Latin Grammar,” Res Publica Litterarum, Studies in the Classical Tradition, IV, 1981, 233-264.  I should like to thank Professors Gino Corti and Vittore Branca for identifying the “Sepontino” of this inventory.

4 On a document of 17 March 1567 permitting the confraternity to sell “li colori” that had belonged to Rosso, see Pieri, in Annunziata Arezzo, 1990 (1993), 40, n. 56.

5 On the possibility that this item is of a “modello” for the S. Maria delle Lagrime frescoes, see L.23.

6 Baldassare Castiglione’s Il Cortegiano, first published in Venice in 1527; see Schlosser Magnino, 1956, 231, 233.

7 Vitruvius’s On Architecture, on the editions of which, see Schlosser Magnino, 1956, 251-258.  The first printed edition of a translation of the treatise was published in Como in 1521; a second translation appeared in Venice in 1524.

8 If “altro” is meant, it could refer to the immediately preceding entry and hence indicate another group of drawings bound together, perhaps colored or in a colored binding; otherwise it could refer to the listing further above and mean another copy of Vetruvius’s book in decorated boards.

9 The inventory itself was published in Azzi, 1931, 64-66.  It is discussed in Hirst, 1965, 122, and published and discussed in Darragon, 1983, 52, 55, n. 18.  Carroll, 1987, 10, 25, 29 (English translation), 35, ns. 73-75.  See also Franklin, 1994, 235-237, 314-315, Appendix H, DOCUMENT 12, slightly differently transcribed; and Ciardi, 1994, n. 158.