Welcome to the Online Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts, a searchable database of some of the western illuminated manuscripts in the British Library. The Library holds one of the richest collections of medieval and renaissance manuscripts in the world, and aims to provide access to images and information about its manuscripts to students, scholars, and the general public.
The Catalogue includes descriptions and images of western manuscripts with pictorial and decorative embellishments, from fully painted miniatures to decorated initials. Because it includes such a wide range of material, it serves as a useful resource for those working in a variety of disciplines. In order to maximize the number of images, the Catalogue includes digital scans of existing slides as well newly-commissioned digital images. As a result, the image quality can vary.
Users can devise their own search criteria in using the Catalogue. For details of how to use the system, see Search tips
Manuscripts included in the Catalogue:
The illuminated manuscripts in the following collections are included in the Catalogue: Arundel; Burney; Egerton; Hargrave; Harley; Henry Davis; Hirsch; King’s; Lansdowne; Sloane; Royal; Stowe and Yates Thompson (Oriental, for Hebrew illuminated manuscripts).
Manuscripts in the Royal collection are currently being added to the Catalogue, thanks to a generous grant from the AHRC. This research will culminate in an exhibition of illuminated manuscripts from the Royal collection from 11 November 2011-13 March 2012, and a two-day conference to be held at the British Library on 12-13 December 2011.
PLEASE NOTE: manuscripts in the Additional and Cotton collections are not yet included in the Catalogue (except for Italian illuminated miniatures cuttings and Hebrew manuscripts in the Additional collection: see Italian illuminated cuttings and Hebrew illuminated manuscripts for details).
Catalogue records for the British Library’s collection of around 675 Italian illuminated miniatures in cuttings and single leaves have now been added to the website. See the Italian illuminated cuttings page for further information on this project and how to search for particular miniatures.
New: Descriptions and images of over 100 Hebrew manuscripts. For further information see Hebrew illuminated manuscripts.
Further information about the catalogue
Background
About the records
Italian illuminated cuttings
Hebrew illuminated manuscripts
Further online resources; Reproductions and copyright
Visiting the British Library
