Shaw, Henry: The decorative arts, ecclesiastical and civil, of the Middle Ages (London, 1851)

purchased, by The Right Hon. Thomas Grenville, who bequeathed it
to the Britiih Museum. It is in the original velvet binding, with silver
nielii, and knobs on the cover. The nielli represent a fine portrait of
Ludovico il Moro, and the badges of the family of Sforza. The vo-
lume is beautifully printed on vellum of the fineit quality, and is orna-
mented with thirty-four illuminated initials of the most exquisite finiih.*
The first leaf of the text has a magnificently illuminated border round it,
exhibiting a splendid specimen of the talents of Jerome Veronese (Giro-
lamo da i Libri). It contains beautiful miniature portraits of Francisco
Sforza, Cardinal Sforza, and Ludovico Maria Sforza, surnamed II Moro.
The remaining ornaments consiil of the arms and devices of the Sforza
family, and in groups of children in the besi: fiyle of the Venetian School.
One group being occupied at the game of “ Buck, Buck, how many
fingers do I hold up,” and the other in a sport so graphically described
in the old Comedy of “ Gammer Gurton’s Needle.”

* In the “ Illuminated Ornaments of the Middle Ages,” by the author ofthepresentwork,
will be found carefully coloured copies of three of these beautiful letters and a portion of the
border, including the portrait of Cardinal Sforza.