Altus partbook, one of a set of six partbooks, containing 83 pieces - mostly Italian madrigals with an admixture of In nomines. In 4 scribal hands, one of them also in GB-Lbl Add MSS 40657-61. ii + 72 +ii pages.

The initials "W H" on covers may suggest the books were originally owned by William Herbert, third earl of Pembroke (1580-1630). Once in the possession of John Egerton, second earl of Bridgewater (1623-1688), who has written a shelf-mark on one of the fly-leaves of each volume. Remained in the Bridgewater Library (whose bookplate is found in the front of each volume) until the entire contents of the library were sold to Mr. Huntington in 1917 for location in the Huntington Library.

Dark brown leather with a gilt-stamped oval decorative device between the initials "W H" on both the front and back covers. Each volume also bears the voice designation stamped in gilt above the oval decorative device.

Close variants of Heawood 481 (the latter almost identical to Briquet 2291), with the Golden Fleece suspended below the crowned shield facing in the opposite direction.

13.0-13.7mm