£1.5m Estimate for 13th Century Illuminated Grail Manuscript at Auction

The top lot in Christie's' July 8 Valuable Books & Manuscripts sale is a medieval illuminated manuscript of the Old French Arthurian tradition circa 1290-1315 with an estimate of £1.2m–£1.5m.

The Clermont-Tonnerre Grail codex, which is in a 17th century green velvet binding and known as the Lebaudy manuscript, preserves key texts from the Vulgate Lancelot-Grail cycle including the foundational narratives of the Holy Grail, Merlin, and King Arthur with the Knights of the Round Table.

It is richly illuminated and decorated with 126 miniatures (including Merlin shapeshifting into a stag), and is narratively significant. It is believed to be the earliest copy of the Lancelot-Grail cycle to go under the hammer.

Believed to have been produced by the anonymous Master of the Liège Apocalypse, it has remained in private hands for 700 years. Previous owners include French 20th century industrialist Jean Lebaudy and the 19th century bibliophile Sir Thomas Phillipps.

Other sale highlights include:

• two important collections of Romanesque manuscripts and richly illuminated Books of Hours
• the French edition of Blaeu’s monumental 12‑volume Grand Atlas
• the 1508 Rome edition of Ptolemy’s Geographia
• the fine Dogmersfield–Rosebery copy of Hamilton’s Campi Phlegraei
• Baron d’Hancarville’s Collection of Etruscan, Greek and Roman Antiquities
• an autograph featuring significant Albert Einstein letters relating to the general theory of relativity