In [quatuor] libros institutionu[m] imperialiu[m] disputationes.[Rome?, first half of the 17th century]. 2 parts in 1 volume. 12mo. With floral decorations in ink at the start of some of the chapters. Contemporary limp vellum, gilt edges. by LAMPUGNANI, Girolamo

[2 blank], 128, [2 blank]; 129-260 [= 132 leaves] ll.Unpublished legal work with commentary on the first two books of the Institutiones of Justinian, by the Italian professor of law Girolamo Lampugnani (1577-1644 or 1653). Only one printed work is known by Lampugnani, which is also a commentary on Justinian, called Compendium Introductionis ad Justtinianaeas Institutiones (1627). The present manuscript was likely written earlier and may have been a draft.The Institutiones is a part of the Corpus iuris civilis by Emperor Justinian I (483-565), which also includes the Digest, the Codex Iustinianus and the Novellae constitutiones. Early in his reign, Justinian I asked jurists to create a new compilation of Roman law, collecting and harmonizing the imperial constitutions that had been issued since the second century CE, in order to reduce their number. The compilation became a classic due to its clarity and conciseness. In the Middle Ages it became the basis for the study of Roman law and also influenced the canon law of the Catholic Church. The Institutiones were intended as a textbook for new students, and it has been used for centuries for this purpose.Lampugnani came from an old patrician family from Milan. He taught canon and civil law at the Collegio della Sapienza in Rome without ever being paid, and later privately. It seems that his written work was also mostly intended to teach. Another manuscript by Lampugnani, which is very similar to the present work but with different contents, can be found in the Harvard Law School library and is titled Introductio ad jurisprudentiam. This manuscript is likewise decorated with ink drawings of flowers and was possibly made by the same person. According to Harvard, the manuscript could either be a set of lecture notes or a work that circulated in manuscript only. The present work seems too polished for lecture notes, so the second option might be the most likely.The bottom edge of the vellum is scuffed, with a very small portion chipped off at the foot of the spine, the vellum is somewhat stained. The work is somewhat browned throughout, with some leaves affected more than others, a narrow water stain along the fore-edge of some of the leaves. Otherwise in good condition.