An illuminated manuscript went on display in London this week ahead of its auction, where it is expected to sell for as much as £11m.
The manuscript, which is the most valuable of its kind, is a Rothschild prayerbook and will go on sale in January next year at Christie’s in New York.
Bringing together various prayers, psalms and other texts, the piece was crafted in the Netherlands in the early 16th century and is considered one of the finest prayerbook examples in private ownership.
It was once part of a famous collection owned by the Rothschild family’s Viennese branch at some point in the 1800s. However, the text – referred to as a ‘book of hours’ – was confiscated from its owner when Austria was annexed by the Nazis in 1938.
When the war was over, the Austrian government took steps to prohibit artwork of cultural significance from being exported.
The item was returned to the Rothschilds in 1999, who then sold it on for a record £8.5m at auction.
Another book of hours, currently held in the British Library, is closely related to the manuscript.
Auctions with items of cultural or historical significance will often draw a lot of interest both nationally and internationally, and organisers typically decorate their premises on the day of the sale using traditional banner printing, in Watford and other towns near London.
The auction next year will have an ‘early treasures’ theme, with the prayerbook serving as the centrepiece for the sale.
It is on public display at Christie’s on King Street, London, until next week.
