Legal Formulary. Italy, c 1797. Text in Latin and Italian.
Italian Manuscript Formbook in a Wallet Binding [Manuscript]. [Italy]. [Formulary]. Genoa [Chiavari?], Italy, c.1797. 250 ff., 18 ff. thumb-tabbed index, 25 blank leaves. Octavo (6" x 4-1/4"). Contemporary Italian tacketed wallet binding of limp vellum, remnants of thong-and-toggle fastener, untrimmed edges. Light soiling and shelfwear, "Formularium Instrorum" to front cover in later hand, along with lists of years 1801-1806 and some other, illegible marks, "1797" to head of spine. Light toning to interior, light soiling to a few leaves, text in neat legible hand. $7,500. * The front pastedown is signed "Advocado Jo: [Giovanni] Baptista Bonta," who was probably the compiler of this manuscript. Its small format, wallet binding, topical organization and index suggest it was a portable reference work. The portions in Latin, many with book and chapter citations, primarily appear to be paraphrased excerpts from the civil statutes of the Republic of Genoa. Others are in question-and-answer format and appear to deal with topics in Roman law. Many, if not most, of the Latin passages are followed by forms in Italian dealing with the area of law cited in the previous passage; some of the statutory material appears in Italian as well. The manuscript generally deals with practical topics, such as notaries, wills, contracts and some procedural matters, and likely served as a portable manual of everyday practice for a working lawyer. One of the forms appears to be dated April 13, 1797, almost precisely two months before Genoa became the Ligurian Republic under Napoleon, suggesting that the manuscript may also provide insights into late Genoese legal tradition and practice within a system on the brink of transformation.
Price: $7,500.00
Book number 72505