Giordano Ruffo, De medicina equorum

De medicina equorum, by Giordano Ruffo, farrier to Frederick II (1194-1250), Holy Roman Emperor and King of Sicily.

An early witness in a single, later 13th-century hand to the foundation text of medieval equine medicine, composed soon after the Emperor's death, in either Latin or Italian. The format of the text and evidence of the script suggest an early copyist's exemplar.

f. 1r. Incipit liber curarum infirmitarum ecorum [sic]. Cum inter cetera animalia a summo rerum opifice ... [line 10] ego iordanus ruffus de calabria miles in marescalla quondam domini imperatoris federici secundi ... [line 20] de generatione et nativitate equi. f. 1v. [line 25] de [erased] et captione equi. f. 2r. [line 15] de custodia et doctrina equi. f. 3r. [line 11] qualiter debeat equus ferrari. f. 3v. [line 6] de dotrina equi. f. 5r. [line 26] De cognitione pulcritudinis equi corporis. f. 5v. [line 22] De omnibus infirmitabus vel de lesionibus naturalibus equorum sive accetentalibus. f. 6r. [line 14] De accedentalibus. There follows a table of fifty-seven chapter headings on accidents and specific diseases (f. 6r.-v.), although the text finishes at the end of chapter 55; the last few words (f. 22v.) have been erased and the word finis inserted in a later hand.

Dark brown ink, headings in red, capitals touched in red, large red painted initials in first gathering.

Late 13th century

1 volume Atelous. (incomplete). 1 volume, approx. 200 x 140 mm. (first two gatherings), 180 x 130 mm. (third gathering). Written space approx. 150 x 110 mm. 22 ff. parchment. 19th-century, half red calf binding, with gilt tooling; front board lettered `3493 13me. siécle' in gilt. Atelous. Collation: 1(6), 2-3(8), 33 lines (first gathering), 35-36 (second gathering), 35 (third gathering).

Purchased at Sotheby's sale, 22 June 1999, lot 77.

Ownership stamp (bottom of f. 1r.): `Huzard de l'Institut' [Jean-Baptiste Huzard (1755-1838); cf. P Leblanc ed., Catalogue des livres ... de feu M. J-B Huzard, iii (1842), no. 3493].

This material has been digitised and can be freely accessed online through Wellcome Collection catalogue.