Walters Ms. W.478, Treatise on cosmetics Tavola dele cose scripte in questo libro Epylogo Capitolo primo deli odori Ars profumatoria vel cosmetica Cosmetica, written in pencil on interior paste down Principal cataloger Berlin, Nicole Cataloger Walters Art Museum curatorial staff and researchers since 1934 Editor Herbert, Lynley Contributor Berlin, Nicole Contributor Emery, Doug Contributor Tabritha, Ariel Contributor Wiegand, Kimber Conservator Quandt, Abigail The Walters Art Museum

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 This Italian manuscript, written in Venetian dialect, was produced ca. 1500, and contains various recipes and remedies for the wellbeing and beauty of women. This text, like most cosmetic treatises in the vernacular, is addressed specifically to a female audience. The text's focus on beauty and appearance is emphasized by the miniature on its opening page, where we see the Judgement of Paris. The Trojan hero Paris was asked to judge a beauty contest between Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena. He chose Aphrodite because she promised him the hand of Helen, known as the most beautiful woman in the world. Although the origin of this text is unknown, it follows in the tradition of those which focus specifically on cosmetics. One such example is the 12th century "Trotula" text that is believed to have originated in Salerno (Italy) and is comprised of three distinct works. One of them (De ornatu mulierum) was dedicated to cosmetics, whereas the other two dealt with obstetrics/gynecology and women's diseases respectively. The "Trotula" corpus was immensely popular and survives in nearly 200 copies in both Latin and various vernacular translations. The Walters treatise, on the other hand, survives only in one partial copy at the Wellcome Library (MS 531) in London, which is missing the prologue as well as a significant portion of the book itself. Baltimore The Walters Art Museum W.478 The primary language in this manuscript is Italian. 2r - 41v Ars profumatoria vel cosmetica Cosmetica, written in pencil on interior paste down On fol. 44r is written in modern (?) black ink: "Pecorio (?) pofiro (?) in questo proposito (?) quando fossero del medesimo stato, come prima" 2v - 3v Tavola dele cose scripte in questo libro Tavola dele cose scripte in questo libro Savon liquido napolitan List of the different remedies found in the text 4r - 5r Epylogo Epylogo Tutte le cose che dala natura in questo inferior mondo Prologue to main text 5v - 41v Capitolo primo deli odori Capitolo primo deli odori in comuni: savon liquido che si chiama Napolitan Tolli cennere de cervo parti doi calcina Main body of the text composed of two chapters (first begins at fol. 5v, second at fol. 24r) with recipies and remedies for the wellbeing and beauty of women

Lightweight cream parchment

 Foliation: 4216.8 11.0 11.4 7.7 Modern pencil and black ink foliation, upper right corners, rectos; the first page and last page are flyleaves that have been foliated

Quire 1: 2, with modern(?) parchment flyleaf hooked (fols. 1-3); Quires 2-5: 10 (fols. 4-33), Quire 6: 10, with last two folios cancelled and stubs of adjoining leaves, fols. 34 and 35, hooked to fol. 41; fol. 41 is hooked to fol. 36; modern parchment flyleaf hooked around quire, and foliated as fol. 42 (fols. 34 to 42) Found throughout, written vertically at the right edge of the lower margin, versos Pastedowns are conjoint with facing flyleaves; the one at the beginning of the manuscript is hooked in, whereas the one at the end is tipped in

 Written in humanist script Fol. 4r: heraldry of the first owner (?); fol. 5v: miniature of judgement of Paris, full illustrated purple border, decorated initial; decorated initial with gold leaf and ink detail before each remedy (section) as on fol. 7r; title of each remedy in red ink; text in black ink Heraldry Prologue to Ars profumatoria vel cosmetica Heraldry This heraldry perhaps belongs to the first owners of the manuscript. In the main field of the heraldry an eagle sable with outstretched wings is depicted with three "bends gules" (stripes angled to the right) in red and gold below. On either side of the heraldry in purple ink is a foliate motif along with the inscription "Gaude Tua Sorte" in gold leaf. Miniature of the Judgement of Paris Main text of remedies and recipes in Ars profumatoria Small miniature and full illuminated border This page contains a miniature depicting the Judgement of Paris. The Trojan hero Paris was asked to judge a beauty contest between Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena. He chose Aphrodite because she promised him the hand of Helen, known as the most beautiful woman in the world. The abduction of Helen from her husband Menelaus, king of Sparta, was the impetus for the start of the Trojan War. This page is also illuminated with a full purple border and decorated with Classicizing elements (foliate motifs, vessels, etc.) in both gold and white/silver.

Bound in Italy, ca. 1500; brownish-red goatskin over wooden boards; gold and blind tooling for the frames and centerpiece design; two strap clasps re-inserted in the 20th century, composed of modern bronze over leather with heraldic (?) decoration; evidence of a 20th century re-sewing of the quires

 Ca. 1500 Italy Created in Venice ca. 1500 Henry Walters, Baltimore, purchased from Leo S. Olschki (bookseller, Florence) before 1931 Walters Art Museum, 1931, by Henry Walters' bequest Relevant Works De Ricci, Seymour, and W. J. Wilson. Census of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in the United States and Canada. Vol. 1. New York: H. W. Wilson Company, 1935, p. 828, cat. no. 426. Green, Monica H. "The Development of the Trotula." In Revue d'Histoire des Textes 26 (1996): 119–203. Green, Monica H. Women's healthcare in the Medieval West: texts and contexts. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2000. Art Medicine Museum Poetry Script Muhammad, the Prophet Kashmiri Horses Walters Art Museum Document Astrology Devotion History Legal Literature -- Poetry Literature -- Prose Liturgy Philosophy Science Science -- Medicine Scripture Sufism Theology Mineralogy Logic Geography Geomancy Cosmology Cartography Fortune-telling Koran Qur`an Firman Palimpsest Prayer Bible Gospels Psalter Missal Lectionary Book of Hours Antiphonary Homilary Processional Horologion Breviary Hymnal Chronicle Maghreb Sub-Saharan (West) Africa Turkey Afghanistan Central Asia Egypt England India Iran Iraq Pakistan Germany France Austria Netherlands Ethiopia Armenia Flanders Greece Mamluk Mughal Ottoman Ottonian Armenian Byzantine Abbasid Qajar Rajput Christian Arabic Austrian Dutch Egyptian Fatimid German Indian Islamic Persian Safavid Timurid Turkish Umayyad English French Flemish Ethiopian Carolingian Calligraphy Colophon Headpiece Illumination Illustration Medallion Miniature Ornament Painting Early Abbasid script Ragini Romanesque Gothic Watermark Grotesques Historiated initial Inhabited initial White-vine lettering Textura Batarda Humanistic Uncial Accordion book Album Book Codex Manuscript Heraldry Saint's Life Drawing Grisaille New Abbasid style Musical notation Russia Romania Charter Russian Genealogy Mass book Prayer book Gospel Lectionary Psalter-Hours Treatise Grammar Gloss Pontifical Private devotional text Gradual Protective scroll Scroll 10th century 11th century 12th century 13th century 14th century 15th century 16th century 17th century 18th century 19th century 20th century 8th century 9th century Block book Caroline minuscule Central Arab lands (Near East) Chart English secretary hand Kufic Gothic book hand Original binding Treasure binding Gospel Book Spanish Spain Italian Italy Coptic Scrapbook American United States Maryland Historical Society Friendship book Friendship Biography Judaism Talmud Collection of Sermons Notable Notable binding Textbook Scholarly compendium Ancient Greece Ancient Rome Literature Liturgical Devotional Scriptural Theological Legal Historical Scientific Scientific -- Medical Literary -- Prose Literary -- Poetry Philosophical Astrological Sufi English Treatise Notable binding Book Codex Illumination Manuscript Miniature Original binding Walters Art Museum 16th century Science -- Medicine Italian Italy Heraldry Humanistic 15th century