See the Stunning Medieval Manuscript Telling Tales of King Arthur, in Ink and Polished Gold, That's Headed to Auction
The 700-year-old volume is one of three privately held Arthurian manuscripts and is expected to draw more than $2 million, Christie's said.
- On July 8, Christie's will auction the Clermont-Tonnerre Grail in London, a rare medieval manuscript expected to fetch between $2 million and $2.7 million.
- Created around 1290, the volume is an early manuscript of the Old French Lancelot-Grail cycle, featuring 126 miniature illustrations by the anonymous Master of the Liège Apocalypse.
- The manuscript has remained in private collections for more than 700 years, with owners including 15th-century knight Michel de Gronnais, Victorian collector Sir Thomas Phillipps, and industrialist Jean Lebaudy.
- Christie's medieval manuscripts specialist Eugenio Donadoni notes the manuscript is the earliest of three comparable Arthurian texts in private hands, prompting scholars to urge public institutional acquisition.
- Dalhousie University English professor Kathy Cawsey warns it would be a "real tragedy" if the manuscript disappeared into private hands again, though its $3.7 million Cdn valuation may limit institutional bidding.
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13 Articles
By Lianne Kolirin, CNN A medieval manuscript containing an early version of the stories of King Arthur and Merlin, which has remained in private hands for approximately 700 years, will be auctioned this summer at an exceptional sale. It is expected that the illustrated manuscript, dating from the 13th or 14th centuries, will reach up to US$ 2.7 million and is one of the oldest documents that narrate the legend of King Arthur and the search for t…
A rare King Arthur manuscript is going up for auction. Scholars hope it won't end up in a private collection
A richly illustrated 13th-century French tome describing the adventures of King Arthur is heading to the auction block after more than 700 years tucked away in private collections.
For 700 Years, King Arthur Tale Has Been in Private Hands
A 700-year-old glimpse of Camelot is about to hit the auction block—with a price tag that could top $2.5 million. Christie's will sell the so-called Clermont-Tonnerre Grail in London on July 8, and it's expected to fetch between $2 million and $2.7 million. Created around 1290–1310, the...
The volume that tells the story of the search for the Holy Grail has been privately owned for 700 years, and its illustrations look as if Roy Lichtenstein had drawn Batman comics in the 14th century.
A 14th century manuscript that tells the story of King Arthur and the search for the Holy Grail will be auctioned in London next July. It is valued at between 1.5 and 2 million pounds (about 1.7 and 2.3 million euros) and will be put on sale on the 8th of that month in the British capital, as a star piece of the bid for valuable books and manuscripts of the Christie’s auction house.
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