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Source Description
Produced in the early thirteenth century, this manuscript is an important textual witness to the Historia Anglorum, the History of the English People, by Henry, archdeacon of Huntingdon. The first version of Henry of Huntingdons text had a terminal date of 1129, though there were four more updates containing events through 1135, 1138, 1148, and 1154. Walters W.793 represents the fourth version, covering the events from Britains first leaders up to 1148, in which the number of books was increased from eight to ten and three letters by the author were added. The text contains several colored foliate initials, though it is especially notable for its line drawing of King Stephen (d. 1154), grandson of William the Conqueror, and his earls before the Battle of Lincoln on February 2, 1141 (fol. 105r). It is closely related to British Library, Arundel Ms. 48, which is believed to have been the model from which Walters W.793 was copied. Both copies may have been based on a prototype extant during the lifetime of Henry of Blois (d. 1171). Of the approximately three dozen surviving manuscript copies of the Historia Anglorum, only eight predate W.793. It and Arundel 48 are the only known illustrated exemplars.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
37611
label
Henry of Huntingdon's Historia Anglorum
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
37611
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Henry of Huntingdon's Historia Anglorum
description
Produced in the early thirteenth century, this manuscript is an important textual witness to the Historia Anglorum, the History of the English People, by Henry, archdeacon of Huntingdon. The first version of Henry of Huntingdons text had a terminal date of 1129, though there were four more updates containing events through 1135, 1138, 1148, and 1154. Walters W.793 represents the fourth version, covering the events from Britains first leaders up to 1148, in which the number of books was increased from eight to ten and three letters by the author were added. The text contains several colored foliate initials, though it is especially notable for its line drawing of King Stephen (d. 1154), grandson of William the Conqueror, and his earls before the Battle of Lincoln on February 2, 1141 (fol. 105r). It is closely related to British Library, Arundel Ms. 48, which is believed to have been the model from which Walters W.793 was copied. Both copies may have been based on a prototype extant during the lifetime of Henry of Blois (d. 1171). Of the approximately three dozen surviving manuscript copies of the Historia Anglorum, only eight predate W.793. It and Arundel 48 are the only known illustrated exemplars.
provenance
Thomas Dakcomb, 16th century [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; 2nd Earl Grosvenor and first Marquis of Westminster (probably Robert Grosvenor), by 1812 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Sotheby Sale, July 11, 1966, lot 227; Major John Roland Abbey, England [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Sotheby's Sale, June 20, 1978, lot 2978; Walters Art Museum, 1978, by purchase.
date
1st half 13th century (Gothic)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
illuminated manuscripts
imageCount
1
pageCount
1
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
28.8
height
20
dimensionsRaw
Folio H: 11 5/16 × W: 7 7/8 in. (28.8 × 20 cm)
Source extras
cul
English; Christian
med
ink and pigments on medium-weight parchment bound between wooden boards covered with brown velvet decorated with brown morocco, embossed silver, embroidered silk, and pierced sheet-silver
creator_ids
33503
collection_ids
MSS
exhibition_ids
2559
2289
3088
174
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
96406d710fcbf282