Hope and Despair from BL YT 44, f. 13

Detail of an historiated initial 'S'(pes) of a personification of Hope receiving a gift from God, and a personification of Desparation impaling himself on a sword, from Guillelmus Alvernus's De moribus. Image taken from f. 13 of De moribus (second part of De virtutibus et vitiis). Written in Latin.

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.