Diagram of the planets from BL YT 31, f. 70v

Circular diagram of the seven planets, each of which governs a day of the week, set around a wheel. Each planet is depicted as a human figure: the Sun as a woman with a flower, Venus swimming, Mercury with a staff, the Moon as a robed woman, Saturn with a sickle, Jupiter as a youth with a sword, and Mars as a soldier with sword and shield, in Matfré Ermengau of Béziers's Breviari d'Amour. Image taken from f. 70v of Breviari d'Amor (Catalan prose version). Written in Spanish (Catalan), with some Hebrew (ff. 131-134).

Henry Yates Thompson (1838-1928) was a British collector and philanthropist who assembled this remarkable collection over his lifetime. The collection is now housed at the British Library in London.

Henry Yates Thompson was born into a wealthy family in 1838. Thompson began collecting manuscripts and other items in the 1870s. His collection quickly gained recognition for its exceptional quality and breadth. He had a keen eye for illuminated manuscripts, which are manuscripts decorated with intricate illustrations and calligraphy. The collection has a particular emphasis on medieval manuscripts.