• Illuminated white vine initial 'S'(i), at the beginning of Book 7 of Cicero's Epistolae ad familiares., Epistolae ad familiares

notes of A. C. de la Mare at the Bodleian Library.? John Shirwood (d. 1493), bishop of Durham, bought in London in 1464: inscribed '‘Liber [rest of line erased, perhaps including ‘sacre’] / empt(us) Londoni circiter xiij kalendas januarias a^o^

• Illuminated white vine initials 'E'(t) at the last letter of Book 13, and the beginning of Book 14 of Cicero's Epistolae ad familiares., Epistolae ad familiares

notes of A. C. de la Mare at the Bodleian Library.? John Shirwood (d. 1493), bishop of Durham, bought in London in 1464: inscribed '‘Liber [rest of line erased, perhaps including ‘sacre’] / empt(us) Londoni circiter xiij kalendas januarias a^o^

• lluminated white vine initial 'Q'(uod) in Cicero's Epistolae ad familiares., Epistolae ad familiares

notes of A. C. de la Mare at the Bodleian Library.? John Shirwood (d. 1493), bishop of Durham, bought in London in 1464: inscribed '‘Liber [rest of line erased, perhaps including ‘sacre’] / empt(us) Londoni circiter xiij kalendas januarias a^o^

• Detail of illuminated initial., Epistolae ad familiares

notes of A. C. de la Mare at the Bodleian Library.? John Shirwood (d. 1493), bishop of Durham, bought in London in 1464: inscribed '‘Liber [rest of line erased, perhaps including ‘sacre’] / empt(us) Londoni circiter xiij kalendas januarias a^o^

• Detail of illuminated initial., Epistolae ad familiares

notes of A. C. de la Mare at the Bodleian Library.? John Shirwood (d. 1493), bishop of Durham, bought in London in 1464: inscribed '‘Liber [rest of line erased, perhaps including ‘sacre’] / empt(us) Londoni circiter xiij kalendas januarias a^o^

• Detail of illuminated initial., Epistolae ad familiares

notes of A. C. de la Mare at the Bodleian Library.? John Shirwood (d. 1493), bishop of Durham, bought in London in 1464: inscribed '‘Liber [rest of line erased, perhaps including ‘sacre’] / empt(us) Londoni circiter xiij kalendas januarias a^o^

• Decorated initials, in the Register of possessions and rents of the Pirckheimer family of Nuremberg, with additions by the hand of Hans Pirckheimer dated from 1381 to 1463., Register of possessions and rents of the Pirckheimer family of Nuremberg, beginning in 1398

Royal Society, London (its ink stamp: 'Soc. Reg. Lond / ex dono HENR. HOWARD / Norfolciensis.', f. 1; its book-plate with the pencil inscription: ‘XV.7.17’, f. [iii verso]).Purchased by the British Museum from the Royal Society of London together with

• Detail of decorated initials., Register of possessions and rents of the Pirckheimer family of Nuremberg, beginning in 1398

Royal Society, London (its ink stamp: 'Soc. Reg. Lond / ex dono HENR. HOWARD / Norfolciensis.', f. 1; its book-plate with the pencil inscription: ‘XV.7.17’, f. [iii verso]).Purchased by the British Museum from the Royal Society of London together with

• Historiated and foliate border of medallions with Peter, Isaiah and another prophet bearing scrolls inscribed 'Egredietur virga de radice Iesse et flos de radice' (Isaiah 11:1) and 'Ecce rex tuus venit sanctu(s) et s' and the Medici devices of Leo X: a diamond ring with three feathers and motto 'Semper' and a yoke with a scroll inscribed 'Suave', and three winged putti, measuring 445 x 35 mm., Cuttings from Missals of Pope Leo X

include Add. 21412, ff. 20-44; Cambridge, University Library, Ms Add. 4165 (15); Geneva, Bibliothèque de Genève, Comites Latentes, MS. 109; London, Sotheby's, 15 June 1959, lot 120, 21 June 1988, lots 36-37, 21 and 22 June 1993, lots 46 and

• Miniature of Benedictine monks chanting at a lectern; another takes holy water on entering, and an initial 'K'. On the reverse one and a half four-line red staves, musical notation and partial text 'Kyrie /... leison'., Cuttings from a Gradual

from the Twelfth to the End of the Nineteenth Century~, ed. by Robert Henry Benson, 2 vols (Oxford: University Press; London: H. Milford, 1927), I, no. 17, fig. 15). Musical notation. 1 miniature in colours and gold, of Benedictine monks

• Historiated and zoomorphic initial 'B' of Benedict seated and holding a crozier, the body of the initial composed of horns sprouting foliage and a hedgehog. One the reverse two four-line red staves, musical notation and text 'co[mmunio] / …te om[n]es a[n]'., Cuttings from a Gradual

from the Twelfth to the End of the Nineteenth Century~, ed. by Robert Henry Benson, 2 vols (Oxford: University Press; London: H. Milford, 1927), I, no. 17, fig. 15). Musical notation. 1 miniature in colours and gold, of Benedictine monks

• Historiated and zoomorphic initial 'S' of Pentecost, the body of the initial composed of two intertwining dragons. On the reverse two four-line red staves, musical notation and text '...lleluia alle / …luia. Ps(almus)'., Cuttings from a Gradual

from the Twelfth to the End of the Nineteenth Century~, ed. by Robert Henry Benson, 2 vols (Oxford: University Press; London: H. Milford, 1927), I, no. 17, fig. 15). Musical notation. 1 miniature in colours and gold, of Benedictine monks

• Historiated initial 'S' of the Apostles praying. One the reverse one four-line red stave, musical notation and partial text '…eus all'., Cuttings from a Gradual

from the Twelfth to the End of the Nineteenth Century~, ed. by Robert Henry Benson, 2 vols (Oxford: University Press; London: H. Milford, 1927), I, no. 17, fig. 15). Musical notation. 1 miniature in colours and gold, of Benedictine monks

• Decorated initial 'I'(f) containing 2 dragons, and with foliate feathering extending between the columns and into the margins at the beginning of book 3., Confessio amantis, imperfect

£10,000 (a fraction of their contemporary value) under the Act of Parliament that also established the British Museum; the Harley manuscripts form one of the foundation collections of the British Library. Decorated initial John Gower London England, S. E. (?London)

• Decorated initial 'U'(pon) with foliate feathering including a male figure, extending between the columns and into the margins at the beginning of book 4., Confessio amantis, imperfect

£10,000 (a fraction of their contemporary value) under the Act of Parliament that also established the British Museum; the Harley manuscripts form one of the foundation collections of the British Library. Decorated initial John Gower London England, S. E. (?London)

• Penwork initial 'P' in green and red, at the beginning of the Epistles of Paul., Glossed Pauline Epistles; treatise on prayer, Donatio Constantini, excerpta from Augustine and Jerome

et Hiberniae~, 3 vols. (Oxford: Sheldonian, '1697', but 1698?), II, no. 6513 or 6523.Robert Scott (b. c. 1632, d. 1709/10), London bookseller: included in the catalogue of John Theyer’s manuscripts in his possession, made in 1678 by William Beveridge and

• Detail of a miniature of Gandoline in bed., Anciennes et nouvelles chroniques d'Angleterre, volume 1

the catalogue of 1666, Royal Appendix 71, f. 13.Presented to the British Museum by George II in 1757 as part of the Old Royal Library. Gandoline in bed Master of the London Wavrin Jean de Wavrin Bruges Netherlands, S. (Bruges)

• Detail of a miniature of the death of Gincelin, and the combat of Morbidus and the sea monster., Anciennes et nouvelles chroniques d'Angleterre, volume 1

the catalogue of 1666, Royal Appendix 71, f. 13.Presented to the British Museum by George II in 1757 as part of the Old Royal Library. Death of Gincelin Master of the London Wavrin Jean de Wavrin Bruges Netherlands, S. (Bruges)

• Detail of a miniature of the marriage of Constans and Helena, and the birth of Constantine., Anciennes et nouvelles chroniques d'Angleterre, volume 1

the catalogue of 1666, Royal Appendix 71, f. 13.Presented to the British Museum by George II in 1757 as part of the Old Royal Library. Constans and Helena Master of the London Wavrin Jean de Wavrin Bruges Netherlands, S. (Bruges)

• Detail of a miniature of the landing of Aurelian and Uther., Anciennes et nouvelles chroniques d'Angleterre, volume 1

the catalogue of 1666, Royal Appendix 71, f. 13.Presented to the British Museum by George II in 1757 as part of the Old Royal Library. Aurelian and Uther Master of the London Wavrin Jean de Wavrin Bruges Netherlands, S. (Bruges)