Ape and wild ass from BL Eg 1121, f. 89

Detail of a miniature of an ape, who is rejoicing in the sunshine, encountering a melancholy wild ass, whose eyes will not bear the light, at the beginning of Chapter 29 of Book 2. Image taken from f. 89 of Spiegel der Weisheit. Written in German.

The Egerton Manuscript Collection is named after its founder, Sir Thomas Egerton (1540-1617), 1st Viscount Brackley, was a lawyer, statesman, and patron of the arts during the reigns of Queen Elizabeth I and King James I of England. He served as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal and later as Lord Chancellor of England, holding high positions in the legal and political realms.

Sir Thomas Egerton acquired a substantial number of historical and literary manuscripts. In 1617, shortly before his death, Sir Thomas Egerton bequeathed his collection of manuscripts to the British Museum, which was the precursor to the British Library.