Johannes der Täufer aus BL YT 13, f. 105v

Bas-de-page scene of John the Baptist being pushed into a prison tower by a blue- and green-skinned man holding a club, with a caption reading, ‘Cy est seint iohan en p[ri]sone p[ar] le coma[n]dem[en]t de herodes.’ Image taken from f. 105v of Book of Hours, Use of Sarum ('The Taymouth Hours'). Written in Latin and French.

Henry Yates Thompson (1838-1928) was a British collector and philanthropist who assembled this remarkable collection over his lifetime. The collection is now housed at the British Library in London.

Henry Yates Thompson was born into a wealthy family in 1838. Thompson began collecting manuscripts and other items in the 1870s. His collection quickly gained recognition for its exceptional quality and breadth. He had a keen eye for illuminated manuscripts, which are manuscripts decorated with intricate illustrations and calligraphy. The collection has a particular emphasis on medieval manuscripts.