Miniature of a lake, an island, and the ships of the Scots; from Jean de Wavrin, Recueil des croniques d’Engleterre, vol. 1, Netherlands (Bruges), 1471-1483, Royal 15 E. iv, parts 1 and 2, f. 146r

 

A new batch of images from the Royal collection of manuscripts has just been made available on the Digitised Manuscripts site.  This latest collection includes a number of chronicles and one French romance -- a Lancelot du Lac.  Most of the chronicle manuscripts were made in Bruges, but the text by Matthew Paris is an English production.  This manuscript is particularly special, because the author himself both wrote and illustrated the manuscript: the itinerary map you see here is in his own hand!  Links to all these images and more can be found below.

 

Page from the itinerary from London to the Holy Land with images of towns, their names, and descriptions of places, with attached pieces, including the city of Rome to the right; from Matthew Paris, Historia Anglorum, Chronica majora, Part III, England (St Albans), 1250-1259, Royal 14 C. vii, f. 4r

 

Royal 14 C. vii    Matthew Paris, Historia Anglorum, Chronica majora, Part III, England (St Albans), 1250-1259

Royal 15 E. iv, parts 1 and 2    Jean de Wavrin, Recueil des croniques d’Engleterre, vol. 1, Netherlands (Bruges), 1471-1483

Royal 18 E. i    Jean Froissart, Chroniques, vol. 2, Netherlands (Bruges), 4th quarter of the 15th century

Royal 19 E. v    Benvenuto da Imola, Romuléon, translated by Jean Miélot, Netherlands (Bruges), 1480

Royal 20 D. iv    Lancelot du Lac, France (Arras?), 1300-1380

 

Miniature of Arthur engaged in conversation with his barons, while Lancelot and Guinevere are whispering together, and on the right, the king and queen presiding over a banquet; with an illuminated initial 'M'(out) containing the arms of England and Bohun, and a full bar border with scenes of two men fighting and monkeys at school, in the lower margin; from Lancelot du Lac, France (Arras?), 1300-1380, Royal 20 D. iv, f. 1r

 

Detail of a miniature of the capture of Olivier du Guesclin; from Jean Froissart, Chroniques, vol. 2, Netherlands (Bruges), 4th quarter of the 15th century, Royal 18 E. i, f. 48r