The Circumcision of Christ and the Three Magi from BL YT 31, f. 220v

Miniature of the Circumcision of Christ, as the Christ Child lays in the lap of the Virgin Mary; miniature of the Three Magi following the star of Bethlehem in search of the Messiah, in Matfré Ermengau of Béziers's Breviari d'Amour. Image taken from f. 220v 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.