These images are provided for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons License (BY-NC-ND). To license a high resolution version, please contact our image library who will discuss fees, terms and waivers.
Download this imageCreative commons explained - what it means, how you can use our's and other people's content.
Patent of Nobility
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.
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.
Method of acquisition: Given (1887) by Sandars, Samuel
Support composed of paper parchment
Accession number: MS 189
Primary reference Number: 176660
Project ID: 413
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Manuscripts and Printed Books
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Patent of Nobility" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/176660 Accessed: 2024-12-22 20:21:42
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/176660
|title=Patent of Nobility
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-12-22 20:21:42|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:
https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-176660
To use this as a simple code embed, copy this string:
<div class="text-center">
<figure class="figure">
<img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/msspb/msspb4/MS_20189_20_281v_29.jpg"
alt="Patent of Nobility"
class="img-fluid" />
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Patent of Nobility</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
Updates about future exhibitions and displays, family activities, virtual events & news. You'll be the first to know...
