Manuscript of 19 folios, comprising an introduction and the life of Hippolytus/Virbius in Italian, with sixteen illustrations in pen and brown ink, brown and gray wash, over black chalk, all from the hand of Pirro Ligorio.
The drawings may represent studies for the never executed tapestries for the Villa D'Este.
Inscribed by the artist, as part of a letter to Ippolito d'Este in pen and brown ink, on folio 18 verso, "Di Ferrara il di [blank] Novembre del MDLXIX and Pyrrho Ligorio Romano meisopogniero." Inscribed by a later hand, on the title page, "Vita di Virbio / detto altrimente / Hippolito figlio di Theseo / Descritta e dissegnata / con immitatione dell'Antico / in sedici historie / Da Pirro Ligorio Antiquario famoso / Di sua propria mano / per servitio del Card. d'Este Il vecchio / Che voleva farne fare una tapezzeria d'Arazzi. S'hebbe dallo studio delle cose vecchie che haveva raccolto in Roma Francesco Villamena."
Watermark: page 8. Double tailed mermaid in a circle, surmounted by six-pointed star, centered on chain line.
Watermark: page 11. Double tailed mermaid in a circle, surmounted by six-pointed star, centered on chain line.
Watermark: page 20. Shield with letter "F" on three mounts.
Watermark: image of Virgin and child inscribed in a double circle. Different watermark on title page consisting of nine-sided polygon. Undocumented by beta radiographs.
Villamena, Francesco, approximately 1566-1624, former owner.
Cavalieri, Giuseppe, 1834-1917, former owner.
Morgan, J. Pierpont (John Pierpont), 1837-1913, former owner.
Morgan, J. P. (John Pierpont), 1867-1943, former owner.
Rhoda Eitel-Porter and and John Marciari, Italian Renaissance Drawings at the Morgan Library & Museum, New York, 2019, no. 116.
Selected references: Coffin 1960, 69-77, 151-59; Shearman 1961, 519; New York 1965-66, no. 110; Byam Shaw 1976, 146; Volpi 1996, 72-73; Lefevre 1998; Coffin 2004, 99-105.
Stampfle, Felice, and Jacob Bean. Drawings from New York collections. I: The Italian Renaissance. New York : Metropolitan Museum of Art : Pierpont Morgan Library, 1965, no. 110, repr. Birth of Hippolytus (folio 5).