Physical Description:
ii (modern parchment), iv (contemporary parchment), 232, iv (modern
parchment), ii (contemporary) fol. Notes:
The Ellesmere Chaucer is a beautiful and elaborately decorated
manuscript of Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Created
between 1400 and 1410, it contains what is believed to be a
portrait of Chaucer as well as miniature paintings of twenty-two of
the fictional pilgrims who tell stories in order to enliven the
journey from London to Canterbury. The manuscript is in excellent
condition partly because it was undisturbed for about three
centuries in the library of Sir Thomas Egerton (later Baron
Ellesmere) and his family. The binding dates from 1995, when the
manuscript was conserved and rebound to meet modern standards of
preservation. For a detailed description including ownership marks
and provenance, please see the Huntington Library. Guide to
Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts. Biographical Note:
ca. 1340-1400, poet. Physical Collection:
Egerton family papers ; Ellesmere Provenance:
From the Bridgewater House Library. Cataloging Notes:
Part of the Library Main Hall exhibition "Remarkable Works,
Remarkable Times: Highlights from the Huntington Library."
Rights
For information on using Huntington Library materials, please see Reproductions of Huntington Library Holdings: https://www.huntington.org/library-rights-permissions
