Corsini, Bartolomeo (d. 1613). Thirteen letters in pen addressed to Corsini

Dated Middelburg 1591 (3x), 1593, 1594, 1597 and 1598 (6x), and Hamburg, 1599 (1x), all in Italian, 2-3 p., formerly folded, 9 letters w. (remnants of) paper-covered seals. Some browning, a few letters w. paper damage from the acidic ink. The letters were sent by Giovanni Battista Lagorio (7x), Bernardo Gerini (2x), Gugl.mo Bartlett and Gugl.mo Bartolotti (the Hamburg letter).

The brothers Filippo and Bartolomeo Corsini were merchants from Florence and descendants of an important noble Florentine family. In the late 16th century, their London firm was based in a large mansion in what is now known as Gracechurch Street. Filippo (d. 1601) became the largest importer of European goods (mainly textiles) in England and was also a substantial exporter. His younger brother Bartolomeo joined him in London in 1579. The Corsini correspondence was the largest surviving British merchant archive of the Elizabethan period, providing a unique international insight in those times, but it is also of importance to postal history. See Ph. Beale et al, The Corsini Letters (2011). (total 13)