Medieval King Arthur manuscript could fetch £2m at auction
Summary
A rare medieval manuscript about King Arthur and the Holy Grail, created around 1290 to 1310, will be sold at auction for an estimated £1.5m to £2m. This richly illustrated book has been privately owned for over 700 years and has never been fully studied or shown to the public before.Key Facts
- The manuscript includes early stories from the Old French Lancelot-Grail cycle about King Arthur, Merlin, and the Holy Grail.
- It features 126 detailed miniature illustrations, some decorated with shiny gold leaf.
- One illustration shows Merlin transformed into a talking stag, a rare image.
- The book was made by the Master of the Liège Apocalypse, a famous medieval artist known for expensive, high-quality works.
- The manuscript was owned by historical figures such as a 15th-century knight and a collector named Sir Thomas Phillipps.
- Jean Lebaudy, a French industrialist and war hero, owned it in the 20th century; the manuscript is named after him.
- Experts say the manuscript is important for understanding medieval literature and art but has been hard to study because it remained in private collections.
- The manuscript will be auctioned by Christie’s on July 8, giving public collections a chance to buy it and make it accessible to scholars and the public.
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