The British Library is at present showing an exhibition of royal manuscripts which were collected over a period of more than 600 years, by kings from Athelstan (893/4–939) to Henry VIII (1491–1547).

The beautifully illuminated pages are glowing in their original colours.  The organisers tell us that it is likely that these manuscript were not only collected by the kings, but also handled and admired by them and their families. One of the earliest books is Athelstan’s copy of the Gospels and on one page there is a note describing the king’s release of a slave named Eadhelm after his coronation in 925.

The collection was started by Edward IV to display the greater glory of God and his chosen sovereigns and country, which of course were the Yorkist leaders rather than the Lancastrian ones.  Though we find these as well on the illuminated pages:  There is the book which was a wedding present from the 1st Earl of Shrewsbury to Margaret of Anjou, whom we can see on one page receiving the present.

Detail of the illumination showing Mragaret of Anjou (in the public domain, obtained through Wikimedia Commons)

Edward himself bought manuscripts of history books for £250, possibly for the education of his sons.

Another highlight is the route map for a 13th century pilgrim to Jerusalem by Matthew Paris, who lived approx. 1200–1259 and was a monk in St Albans.  Though not much is known about Matthew we know that his only international trip took him to Norway.  In spite of this his map shows us exactly how to get to Jerusalem, travelling through Kent, France and Italy and then by boat, including the must-see landmarks en route.

One reviewer criticises that the captions of the exhibits focus on the illustrations to the detriment of their historical context.  As an example she tells us that

The one that says flatly that Edward IV’s ‘two young sons…died in the Tower of London after his death’ is a woeful “princes in the Tower” rehash with no basis in historical certainty. (A later caption, more sensibly, adds the word “presumed”.) [Flanders]

We can only applaud her sentiments.

Unfortunately other reviewers are themselves not so sure of their history as the one who informs us that there are “prayer books belonging to queens such as Margaret Beaufort, Henry VI’s wife”! [Bates]

An impressive slideshow of some of the exhibits can be seen on the BBC website:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-15667183.  For this link my thanks go to the facebook page of the Richard III Society.

The exhibition is shown until 13 March 2012.  For us down-under we can only suggest that the British Library needs to redecorate.  The perfect place for their beautiful books would be to display them in Australia.  This system seems to be working very well for other museums, think of the huge success of the Musee d’Orsay in Canberra, the Städel Museum Frankfurt in Melbourne or the Picasso exhibition here in Sydney right now.

Sources:

Stephen Bates, ‘Medieval monarchs’ books showcased by British Library’, The Guardian (10 November 2011).  URL:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/nov/10/medieval-monarchs-books-british-library Date accessed:  11 Nov 2011

Mark Brown, ‘British Library digs out decorative paintings to brighten up dark ages’, The Guardian (25 August 2011).  URL:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/aug/25/british-library-dark-ages-exhibition Date accessed:  11 Nov 2011

Judith Flanders, ‘Royal Manuscripts: The Genius of Illumination, British Library’, The Arts Desk (10 November 2011).  URL:  http://www.theartsdesk.com/visual-arts/royal-manuscripts-genius-illumination-british-library-0 Date accessed:  11 Nov 2011

Mary Mcconnell, ‘Might be worth a look, Wills: The medieval manuscripts that told England’s monarchs how to be a king’, Mail online (31 October 2011).  URL:  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2055338/Medieval-manuscripts-told-Englands-monarchs-king.html Date accessed:  5 Nov 2011

Scot McKendrick, ‘Exhibition in focus: Royal Manuscripts, British Library’, The Telegraph (11 Nov 2011).  URL:  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/uk/london/8865233/Exhibition-in-focus-Royal-Manuscripts-British-Library.html Date accessed:  12 Nov 2011

Tags: Books