Matthew from BL Eg 2783, f. 13v

Defaced miniature of Matthew, and decorated headpiece and initial 'B'(iblos) at the beginning of his Gospel. Image taken from f. 13v of Four Gospels, with liturgical directions, tables, apparatus, lections, and, at the end, Synaxarion and Menologion, imperfect. Written in Greek.

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.