Engraved throughout. Title by Albert Clouet after Carlo Cesio, leaf [1]. Dedication to Alexander VII by Giuseppe Maria Testana, leaf [2]. The 75 portrait busts in oval frames are arranged by date the sitter was made cardinal. They include the sitter's arms and those of the pontiff then reigning. Despite title leaf date of 1658, the last four cardinals have creation dates in 1660 and of these four, the final 2 portrait ovals are blank.

Engravers of ports. in addition to Clouet and Testana: Giuseppe Fontana, Etienne Picart, Guillaume Vallet. Artist of original port., where not the engraver: Alois Calabrese, Giovanni Battista Gaulli, Petrus Martir, Giovanni Domenico Mattei, Pier Francesco Mola, Giuseppe Maria Morandi, Domenico Rainaldi.

Binding: vellum, tooled in black & gilt. "De Rubeis" and title in gilt on spine label. Remains of 2 pairs of ties at foredge.

Armorial bookplate of Ditton Park, with associated shelfmarks. Signatures of van Steibeeck and E.K. Waterhouse.

Inserted is photocopy of small bronze port. of Cardinal Scipio d'Elci with annotations in hand of E.K. Waterhouse. MS list of sitters and artists in Waterhouse's hand.