The Virgin and the Serpent from BL YT 31, f. 125v

Miniature of the Virgin holding the Christ child, as she denigrates the serpent, with an adult Christ on the left holding a scroll reading 'fembra te fara tempesta. Tal qu el trencera la testa.' With an illuminated initial 'S'(apiats) in blue, red, white and gold, in Matfré Ermengau of Béziers's Breviari d'Amour. Image taken from f. 125v of Breviari d'Amor (Catalan prose version). Written in Spanish (Catalan), with some Hebrew (ff. 131-134).

Henry Yates Thompson (1838-1928) was a British collector and philanthropist who assembled this remarkable collection over his lifetime. The collection is now housed at the British Library in London.

Henry Yates Thompson was born into a wealthy family in 1838. Thompson began collecting manuscripts and other items in the 1870s. His collection quickly gained recognition for its exceptional quality and breadth. He had a keen eye for illuminated manuscripts, which are manuscripts decorated with intricate illustrations and calligraphy. The collection has a particular emphasis on medieval manuscripts.