Adoration of the Magi from BL Eg 2125, f. 182v

Miniature of the Adoration of the Magi. Image taken from f. 182v of Prayer book of Joanna of Ghistelles (Office of the Dead, Use of Messines). Written in Latin, Netherlandish (f. 143-145 and some rubrics), and French (ff. 218-220v).

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.