KRAKOW

£9,500 · Offered by Sokol Books

Stunning illuminated manuscript granting the citizenship of Kraków to Ioannis Stephanus Pusterla Venetus, i.e. the Italian Giovanni Stefano Pusterla Veneto. The text of the diploma states that he is ‘nobilis ac famatus’, meaning noble and famous, and that he provided sufficient evidence of his genealogy. The Pusterla family is an ancient and noble family of Milanese origin, related to the powerful Visconti: among its most notable members are four archbishops of Milan, several politicians, military leaders and benefactors. In the 13th century, the family obtained from Emperor Otto IV the right to have a black Imperial Eagle on their coat of arms, depicted in beautiful detail on this document. Giovanni Stefano, however, is ‘Venetus’, meaning that he comes from the Veneto region in the north-east of Italy. The Italian historian Giambattista Pagliarino (1415-1506) records branches of the Pusterla family in Vicenza, a city not far from Venice, at least from the 14th century. According to the grant, Giovanni Stefano is now entitled to “use, enjoy and benefit from” all the “laws, privileges, freedoms, prerogatives and immunities” of the citizens of Kraków, and that he also must preserve and respect them. Most interestingly, he is officially allowed to “trade goods freely and without customs duties”. In the 17th century, several members of the noble families of Vicenza were merchants. The ‘Bianchi-Pusterla Company’, led by Ludovico Bianchi and Carlo Pusterla

• Binding: Hardcover

Found via Rare Books Intel, a search across rare-book dealers, auction houses and marketplaces worldwide.