Pentecost from BL Eg 2019, f. 135

Detail of a miniature of the Pentecost, with an enthroned Virgin Mary sitting in prayer with a book open on her lap, eleven nimbed figures surrounding her wearing brightly coloured robes and the Holy Spirit above. Image taken from f. 135 of Book of Hours, Use of Paris. Written in Latin and some French.

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.