Teacher and students from BL YT 19, f. 3

Miniature of man teaching students, decorated initial 'C'(his), and three-sided border with animals, birds, and hybrids, including a centaur shooting a bird; a battle between a squirrel, mounted on a bicorn (two-horned unicorn) and a monkey, mounted on a unicorn; aagpiper and fiddler, in Brunetto Latini's Le Livre du Trésor. Image taken from f. 3 of Li Livres dou Tresor. Written in French.

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.