Illuminated Manuscripts

The illuminated manuscripts at Waddesdon represent one third of the magnificent collection begun by Baron James Mayer de Rothschild (d.1868) and extended by his son Baron Edmond (d.1934).

Many are among the best products of the later Middle Ages, from the workshop of Jean Pucelle in Paris of the early 14th century, to that of Jean Bourdichon of Tours or of Simon Bening of Bruges, both of the early 16th century; some are valuable for their texts and others for the richness of their illumination. The catalogue descriptions are organised to emphasize the history of the medieval book. Their components, technical elements, texts, and illustrations, are analysed in the sequence in which they were produced, in order to reconstruct the life of each book and, as far as possible, its history. By L.M.J. Delaissé, James Marrow and John de Wit.