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Patent of Nobility: MS 189

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Current Location: In storage

Titles

Patent of Nobility

Entities

Categories

Description

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Paper and parchment, vii original paper flyleaves + 44 fols. + iv original paper flyleaves, 310 x 215 mm (200 x 130 mm), 34-36 long lines, ruled in dark pink ink.

BINDING: Sixteenth or seventeenth century, Spanish, brown leather over pasteboards, gold- and blind-tooled design with floral bars and profile medallions, IHS monogram in centre of both covers.

CONTENTS: fols. ii recto - vii verso Statements by witnesses to the Patent and by Bernal Ramirez; fols. 1r-42r Patent of Nobility granted by Philip II of Spain (1556-1598) to Bernal Ramirez (d. 1634) in Valladolid in 1579.

DECORATION: Full-page miniature with arms and crest of the Ramirez family in the lower half and Bernal Ramirez kneeling before a vision of the Virgin and Child in the upper half, central bar with legend DON FELIPE POR LA GRA[CIA DI DIO] (fol. 1v) with foliate, floral and jewelled border on red and gold grounds.

ORNAMENTATION: Rubrics in gold capitals [3 ll.] on blue or red panels; initials [3-5 ll.] with minor flourishing in black ink; linefillers and marginal decoration in black ink.

Notes

History note: Bernal Ramires (d. 1634); to his son (note recording his father’s death and tomb on the recto of the second flyleaf at the end); stamp inside lower cover: Sold by E. Avery, London; William Bragge (1823-1884), FSA, Sheffield; Sotheby’s, 7 June 1876, lot 128; Samuel Sandars (1837-1894); presented by him to the Fitzwilliam Museum in 1887.

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (1887) by Sandars, Samuel

People, subjects and objects depicted

Project

  • Cambridge Illuminated

Materials used in production

Gold

Components of the work

Support composed of paper parchment

Techniques used in production

Illumination

Inscription or legends present

  • Text: Caguelo de solar conocido
  • Type: Secundo folio

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: MS 189
Primary reference Number: 176660
Project ID: 413

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Monday 18 November 2024

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Manuscripts and Printed Books

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "Patent of Nobility" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/176660 Accessed: 2025-12-05 09:32:05

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{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/176660 |title=Patent of Nobility |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-05 09:32:05|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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