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The history of the manuscript

After having belonged to the Bolognese family del Perugino at the beginning of the 16th century, the manuscript was purchased from the Albani family in Rome in 1838 by James Dennistoun, who sold it to Bertram, 4th Earl of Ashburnam, in 1847.
In 1897, the son of the Earl sold the work once again to Henry Yates Thompson.

 

THE LAST OWNER: HENRY YATES THOMPSON
The last owner of the manuscript, which is currently kept in the British Library of London, was therefore Henry Yates Thompson (1838-1928), would-be barrister and politician but extraordinary collector and authority on ancient manuscripts.
At the age of eighteen, Yates Thompson, son of a wealthy banker and grandson of a successful antique dealer, had already inherited nine illuminated manuscripts from his grandfather.
After that, he never ceased to add to his collection, purchasing and selling manuscripts for the sole purpose of constantly improving the overall quality of his collection, which finally comprised one hundred works.
As he himself wrote: “My idea was never to buy any other manuscript that was not absolutely superior as to value and interest, to at least one of my hundred originals, and so long as I discarded the least interesting of my hundred manuscripts after the purchase.”
Having reached a certain age, suffering from a cataract and fearing that he would no longer be able to admire his beloved manuscripts, Yates Thompson decided to set them up for auction. But as the auction proceeded, he underwent an operation, was cured, and kept the last manuscripts that had not yet been sold. After his death, they passed on to his wife and from her to the British Library of London.

 

 

 

 

 

Henry Yates Thompson
Henry Yates Thompson


La pagina del Perugino
La pagina del Perugino

L'artista più illustre impegnato nella decorazione del libro d'Ore del Perugino è senza dubbio il Perugino.

la legatura
La legatura

La legatura del libro d'Ore del Perugino è un lavoro coevo di estrema complessità.

La vicenda del codice
Le vicende del codice

Dopo essere appartenuto agli inizi del XVI secolo alla famiglia bolognese del Perugino.