Holkham Bible

For the other illuminated Bible formerly of the Holkham collection, see Clement Bible.
Holkham Bible
London, British Library, Additional MS 47682
A leaf in the Holkham Bible bearing 2 miniatures, 1 above & 1 below, each with a 1 or 2 line caption in French. Both miniatures are line drawings in brown ink tinted with washes in shades of red, brown, blue, & green. The upper 1—how the peers fight—depicts a chaotic battle scene of armoured men fighting on horseback, in chain mail & plate armour. They wield swords & axes, as fallen men & horses are trampled in the fray. In the lower miniature—how the commoners fight—a smaller group of men battle on foot. Their armour is much lighter; they bear swords, axes, or bows & arrows, & carry small round buckler shields.
Holkham Bible, f. 40r
Also known asHolkham Bible Picture Book
Datec.1327–1335
Place of originEngland, S.E. (London?)
Language(s)Anglo-Norman French with some Middle English
PatronLikely commissioned by a Dominican friar[1]
MaterialParchment, ink, coloured washes
Size285 × 210 (265 × 200) mm
ScriptGothic and Gothic cursive
Illumination(s)231 miniatures; initials with penwork decoration
Previously keptNorfolk, Holkham Hall, MS 666[2]

The Holkham Bible (London, British Library, Additional MS 47682) is an illustrated collection of biblical and apocryphal stories in Norman French. The picture book was produced in England during the decades before 1350 for use by an unidentified Dominican friar. Its illustrations depict the stories in contemporary English settings, making it a visual source on medieval English society.

  1. ^ British Library. "Detailed record for Additional 47682". Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts. Retrieved 11 Feb 2022.
  2. ^ British Library. "Add MS 47682". Digitised Manuscripts. Retrieved 11 Feb 2022.