Muzio Pansa Manuscripts, circa 1586-1630

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Collection Overview

Title:

Muzio Pansa Manuscripts

Repository:

Manuscripts Division

Permanent URL:

http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/dcn583z5161

Dates:

circa 1586-1630

Size:

2.2 linear feet, in two record center cartons and a half-manuscript box.

Storage Note:

Firestone Library (scamss): Boxes B-002008 to B-002010

Abstract: Consists of twelve mostly unpublished manuscripts from Renaissance scholar, Muzio Pansa. He was a medical doctor and humanist writer from the Abruzzo region in Italy, though he completed his studies in Rome. The works in this collection range from fragments to tomes, and range in subject matter as well; in addition to the lecture notes from his university days are Pansa's unpublished Latin treatise on pharmacology, his pious Italian tragedy, Il mundo redento (published posthumously), writings on theology, and the De osculo, a significant work in the history of Renaissance Neo-Platonism.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

Consists of twelve mostly unpublished manuscripts from Renaissance scholar, Muzio Pansa, in fifteen volumes. Some of the manuscripts are from when Pansa was a student at the Jesuit Collegio Romano, where he was a contemporary of Galileo. Both students had Paulus Valla (Paulus Vallius) as a lecturer, and several of the lecture notes are copied from his lecture notes. The works in this collection range from fragments to tomes, and range in subject matter as well; in addition to the lecture notes are Pansa's unpublished Latin treatise on pharmacology, his pious Italian tragedy, Il mundo redento (published posthumously), writings on theology, and the De osculo, a significant work in the history of Renaissance Neo-Platonism.

Some of the later manuscripts are likely in the hand of his younger son and literary executor, Carlo Muzio.

Arrangement

This collection has not been arranged by the archivist, but has been arranged in chronological order by the dealer.

Collection Creator Biography:

Pansa

Muzio (or Mutio; he also went by the pseudonym, Costante) Pansa (1565-1628) was a medical doctor and humanist writer from the Abruzzo region. Born in Penne, in the region of Abruzzo, Italy, he was the son of a merchant. He studied both philosophy and medicine with Cardinal Costanzo Torri da Sarnano in Rome, where he attended the Jesuit Collegio Romano and l'Università la Sapienza. During his schooling, he composed several works, including Poesie Amorose, Adnotationes Alphabeticae ex Universa Medicina Extractae (1587, a dictionary of medicine), La Raffaella (1588, a comedy), and Delle glorie di Sisto Quinto (a verse and prose opera). He lectured at the Accademia degli Aggirati and was rector of Accademia medica detta degli Ardenti. In 1588, he returned to Penne where he practiced medicine, continued his studies, wrote verse, published writings on various public (usually papal) occasions, and initiated and actively participated in various scholarly societies. His most well-known work is Della libraria Vaticana (1590), which describes the newly completed Sistine Vatican Library.

Collection History

Acquisition:: Purchased from Blackwell's Rare Books in 2019 (AM 2021-43).
Processing Information: This collection was processed by Amy C. Vo in 2022. Finding aid written by Amy C. Vo in 2022. Dealer-supplied description was used in the creation of item titles and item-level scope and content notes, with clarifying revisions made by the archivist.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

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Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

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