Medieval Manuscript Tells Tales of Legendary King Arthur
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The stunning illuminated manuscript, made by a highly skilled scribe between 1290 and 1310, is heading to auction.
More than seven centuries ago, an anonymous scribe set down the tales of King Arthur and his Round Table in a vellum manuscript. He punctuated the Old French text with 126 miniature illustrations adorned with polished gold leaf, depicting the legendary British king, the shape-shifting wizard Merlin and knights like Lancelot and Gawain.
This remarkable manuscript is going under the hammer in July, and is expected to fetch more than $2 million. It has been rebound in green velvet. According to auction house Christie’s, it will be the oldest version of the Vulgate Cycle ever auctioned. “This is a rediscovered manuscript of one the greatest of all medieval romances … texts fundamental to Western culture,” says Christie’s.
The Vulgate Cycle, also known as the Lancelot-Grail Cycle, was written anonymously in France in the 13th century. It’s a compilation of stories detailing the quest for the Holy Grail, the love affair of Lancelot and Queen Guinevere, the life of Merlin and more. In the 15th century, Thomas Malory drew on the Vulgate to write Le Morte d’Arthur, the first English-language prose book of Arthurian legends.
Click to enlarge | Credit: Christie's Images Ltd. 2026
“It’s a beautifully illuminated manuscript, which contains wonderful Arthurian stories depicted in exquisite miniatures,” says Irene Fabry-Tehranchi, a French specialist at Cambridge University Library who’s written about the Lancelot-Grail Cycle, to the Guardian. “Originally, it was made for aristocratic patrons, possibly women who were very fond of Arthurian stories.” She hopes that after seven centuries of private ownership, the Clermont-Tonnerre Grail will be purchased by a public institution. “This private ownership of a key medieval manuscript is a real challenge for scholars. It prevents further research, unfortunately.”
“As Merlin himself prophesies in the text itself: ‘And the story will forever be told and gladly heard for as long as the world lasts.’”