❧ Description
Autograph Divan (at least in large part) of the Italian poet Yaakov Francès (1615-1667), elder brother of Immanuel Francès. 138 folios, in-4, 17th century. The manuscript gathers satirical verses, some anti-kabbalistic — the anti-kabbalistic polemic of the Francès brothers is one of the most singular moments of Italian Hebrew poetry. To escape censorship, the author substituted letters to conceal his words; Shadal deciphered the substitutions. The first piece, dedicated to Charles II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua, was sent by Shadal to the journal Hamevasser in 1863. The manuscript remains almost entirely unpublished (7 poems published).
Provenance: 1 Yaakov Francès himself (at least partial autograph) 2 Acquisition by Samuel David Luzzatto, Padua 3 Sale by Isaia Luzzatto, 1869 4 Bodleian Library (Oppenheim Additional), 1869-1870
Codicological note — origin Italy; script: Italian; leaves: 138 folios; dimensions: in-4; early catalogues: Joseph Luzzatto Catalogue 1868 · no. 116; Neubauer 1886 · 1991; editorial status: Unpublished.
— Source: Mémoires des Manuscrits Juifs du Moyen-Âge Maghrébin (MMJMM / Collectif GMPL), https://mmjmm.org/corpus/catalogue/to-locate-luzzatto-116.
