Virgin and Child from BL Eg 2569, f. 59

Historiated initial 'O' of a standing Virgin suckling the Child and two kneeling nuns. Image taken from f. 59 of Lectionary from the Lives of the Saints, from 22 February to 10 August. Written in Latin and 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.