The Authorship of the Register of Bassus notarius

Abstract

The register of Bassus notarius, preserved in Vatican City, Archivio Segreto Vaticano, Miscellanea, Armadio XV, t. 228, is an extremely important-yet heavily fire-damaged and under-researched-collection of notarial documents issued at the papal curia between 1266 and 1276. The authorship of the manuscript is attributed to the papal notary Bassus de Civitate, yet I demonstrate that another scribe (perhaps the famous papal notary Berard of Naples, or someone in his employ) was an important collaborator with Bassus. This scribe composed final sections of the register which account for roughly one-fifth of the whole. In addition, despite the significant fire damage to the manuscript, the hands of further scribes are identified, revealing that the manuscript “of Bassus” was probably more of a communal resource than a private register. The present study therefore nuances the status of Misc., Arm. XV, t. 228 as an autograph of Bassus.