Collection Expansion 2 of 2

Created for Federico da Montefeltro, the bibliophile Duke of Urbino: Ptolemy's ancient cartography in the gold-embellished garb of the early Italian Renaissance

Florence (Italy) — 1472

Valuable contraband from a spy at the Portuguese court: an exact copy of the famous and then secret world map "Royal Standard" with the newly mapped coastline of Brazil for the Duke of Ferrara

Lisbon (Portugal) — 1502

Diego Homem's pioneering cartographic masterpiece: eight gold-decorated maps with equally fascinating and beautiful depictions of sea routes, oceans and lands as evidence of the inexorable advance of science

Venice (Italy) — 1561

The world at the time of the Renaissance: An exquisite cartographic work and worthy gift for King Francois I of France, masterly illuminated by Antonio de Holanda by order of Manuel I of Portugal

Portugal — 1519

Impressively represents King Henry VIII's global ambitions for a British Empire: a magnificent luxury atlas by the famous Venetian cartographer Battista Agnese for the English sovereign

Venice (Italy) — 1542–1547

An opulent gift from Maria Tudor to her husband Philip II: 10 magnificent double-page maps by the virtuoso Portuguese cartographer Diogo Homem as a representation of the hegemony of the Spanish Empire

England (United Kingdom) — 1555–1557

From the workshop of Battista Agnese, arguably the most talented cartographer of the 16th century: scientific accuracy and the refined art of the Italian Renaissance combined in a delicate adorned masterpiece

Venice (Italy) — Ca. 1540

A fascinating 17th century look at the stars and ancient mythology: the world systems of Ptolemy, Copernicus, and Tycho Brahe compiled in beautiful copperplate engravings

Germany — 1661

The records of a historical project in the history of mankind: maps, letters, and other documents related to the first circumnavigation of the world by Magellan from archives and libraries all over Europe

Spain — Before 1522

Of wondrous realms and monstrous creatures: an influential letter about a mythical country and Giovanni Leardo's breathtaking Mappa Mundi with the most recent findings of late medieval expeditions

Italy — 12th century and 1442

Formerly in the possession of Henry VIII: possibly the most magnificently illuminated version of the medieval biography of Alexander the Great, adorned with 86 elaborate miniatures of rich colors and glowing gold

Paris (France) — Around 1420

Love, passion, betrayal, war, and doomed heroes: the only version of the fall of Troy featuring detailed descriptions of the customs, traditions, and lifestyles of the famous city

Probably Venice (Italy) — 1340–1350

An elaborately illuminated journey through time to Trecento Italy: Benoît de Sainte-Maure's famous Trojan epic in an Italian adaptation with opulent book decoration on almost every page

Bologna (Italy) — Second half of the 14th century

A magnificent codex from Regensburg, left to the city council for 15 kilograms of silver: golden miniatures by Master Martinus depicting the tragic legend of the Trojan War in a unique German translation

Regensburg (Germany) — 1432–1456

From one of the first female authors in European history: Christine de Pizan's Letters from Othea, the Goddess of Wisdom, with advice for the Trojan hero Hector as an insight into late medieval moral concepts

Paris (France) — Second half of the 15th century

Commissioned by Louis de Laval, illuminated by none other than Jean Colombe: the greatest medieval source on the history of the Crusades, adorned with splendid full-page miniatures full of exciting detail

Bourges (France) — 1474

A unique treasure of German literature, medieval history, and Gothic illumination: the famous Great Heidelberg Song Manuscript with nearly 6,000 stanzas of courtly love lyrics and 137 full-page miniatures

Zurich / Lake Constance area (Zwitzerland) — After 1310 until ca. 1340

The tender rose as a symbol for the woman: perhaps the most famous and controversial allegorical romance novel of the Middle Ages illuminated with 93 gold-decorated miniatures by Berthaud d'Achy

Paris (France) — Ca. 1280

Created on commission of the famous Renaissance prince Lorenzo de' Medici: Virgil's opus magnum about the fabulous city of Troy and the legendary founding of Rome in luminous Renaissance images

Florence (Italy) — Around 1460

58 epic images of fierce battles and impressive architecture: the only surviving late antique miniatures of Homer's famous Iliad, created around 500 in Alexandria, Egypt

Alexandria (Egypt) — Around 500

Inspired by a tragic loss, illustrated with the most beautiful twilight scenes of illumination: an allegorical chivalric romance written by Duke René d´Anjou and illustrated by Barthélemy d'Eyck

France — 1460–1467

Groundbreaking architectural visions and ingenious inventions: A fascinating collection of 87 selected masterful drawings by da Vinci from the world-famous Codex Atlanticus and other sketchbooks

Italy — Ca. 1478–1519

Splendid pictures of aristocratic hunting parties at their royal pastime: a luxuriously illuminated guide to hunting with Gaston Phoebus's teachings on hunting techniques and the training and care of horses and hunting dogs

France — End of the 14th century

King Modus in conversation with one of his pupils, sumptuously illustrated for Duke Philip the Good: on the art of hunting, the treatment of animals and the luxurious lifestyle of the Burgundian nobility

Flanders — 1455

De arte venandi cum avibus, one of the most famous manuscripts of the Middle Ages: the masterpiece of falconry, written by the Staufer Emperor Frederick II

Rotunda or Naples (Italy) — Ca. 1258–1266

The template for his own famous falcon book: Emperor Frederick's compilation of two Arabic teaching texts on the training and care of falcons and hunting dogs, adorned with gold initials

Italy — Arround 1240

Secret teachings, a work of extraterrestrials, or just an elaborate joke: wonderful illuminations and cryptic cyphers in the undoubtedly most mysterious and puzzling manuscript in the history of book illumination

France, Italy or Spain — End of 15th century or during the 16th century

Completed exactly on July 27, 970: a unique Beatus manuscript and milestone in art history with the miniature of the famous tower scriptorium of the Tábara monastery

San Salvador Monastery in Tábara (Spain) — 10th century

A UNESCO World Heritage document and arguably the most famous manuscript in the world: intricate interlace and Celtic knots in a masterpiece of insular illumination that is both mystical and humorous

Monastery of Iona (United Kingdom) — Ca. 800

Commissioned by Charlemagne and used as an Imperial Insignia for centuries: each German emperor swore his oath with his hand on this book made of gold and purple

Court School of Charlemagne, Aachen (Germany) — Shortly before 800

The most magnificent and ornate illustrated Bible of the Carolingian period: the magnificent gift from Emperor Charles the Bald to the Pope, adorned with 24 full-page miniatures, 35 incipit pages, and 91 historiated initials

Scriptorium of Reims (France) — 870–875

Said to have been brought to China by Marco Polo on his famous journey to the court of Kublai Khan: a European Bible manuscript from a private Chinese collection, rediscovered in the 17th century by the Jesuit Philippe Couplet

Probably Paris (France) — Ca. 1230–1240

Suitably richly illuminated with over 100 luminous miniatures: a magnificent missal with the prayer texts for worship and lavishly designed, full-page images of intense colors and precious gold leaf

Reims (France) — 1285–1297

Numerous innovations in the world's second printed book: the first multicolor printing including two font sizes and printed decorative initials with a printed colophon and details of the date, printer and publisher

Mainz (Germany) — August 14, 1457

The oldest manuscript from the famous monastery of Reichenau and a UNESCO World Heritage Document today: a splendid Ottonian evangeliary in purple, gold and silver commissioned by Archbishop Gero of Cologne

Monastery of Reichenau (Germany) — ca. 969

A cover of precious stones and miniatures made of gold: an extraordinarily magnificent gospel book for feast days at the Speyer Cathedral, created by no less than eight talented illuminators

Speyer or Trier (Germany) — Around 1220

A sublime testimony to the heyday of the English Romanesque: a first-rate work of art, splendidly and masterfully illuminated with 42 full-page gold miniatures and over 200 artful decorated initials

St. Alban Abbey, London (United Kingdom) — 1123–1135

A book treasure shining with light from the magnificent Sainte Chapelle in Paris: gilded Gothic miniatures as beautiful and luminous as church windows, created for Blanche de Castille, the mother of King Louis the Saint

Paris (France) — 1200–1230

Probably the most extensive highlight of Flemish book art: beautiful illuminations comprising impressive miniatures and fantastical borders on almost every one of the fabulous 1,664 pages, created by the most important masters of the time

Ghent and Bruges (Belgium) — 1510–1520

Testimonies to the tragic life of the Queen of Scotland, France and (in truth) England: Mary Stuart's book of hours, together with the certificate of execution signed by Elizabeth I on February 1, 1587

Ghent or Bruges (Belgium); London (United Kingdom) — Early 16th century (Book of Hours); February 1st, 1587 (Execution Warrant)

A gold-glowing example of the magnificent “Channel Style”: the stories of the Old Testament in an ornate picture cycle made of vibrant colors and precious gold leaf, once part of a luxury Bible from Northern France

France — Ca. 1250

The Bedford Master's magnum opus with 43 splendid large-format miniatures and more than 1,250 medallions: one of the richest and most beautiful illuminated manuscripts of all time

Paris (France) — Written 1410–1415, illuminated 1415–1430

Renaissance splendor and piety in gold and purple: one of the last and most beautiful purple manuscripts, adorned with masterful illuminations and a splendid binding of gold, silver and precious stones

Parma (Italy) — Beginning of the 16th century

Our picture of the Middle Ages, created by the Limbourg brothers for the Duke of Berry: one of the most beautiful, valuable, and famous manuscripts in the world, adorned with 12 iconic calendar pages and 131 masterful miniatures

Paris and/or Bourges (France) — 1410–1416 and 1485–1489

Made by order of Theophanus, written entirely in gold, and adorned with a breathtaking magnificent binding: arguably the most splendid and beautiful manuscript of all time, created in the famous scriptorium of Echternach

Echternach Abbey (Luxembourg) — 1020–1050