A Medieval manuscript This piece contains an early version of the epic story of King Arthur, Merlin and the Knights of the Round Table, which has been in private ownership for around 700 years, and will go to auction this summer.
The document, which will sell for more than US$2.7 million ($3.7 million CAD) and will be available for institutions to purchase this summer, is believed to date back to the 13th or 14th century, and contains several distinctive features, including 126 small illustrations, one of which depicts Merlin in the form of a stag, according to the Verge. The Guardian.
Created sometime between 1210 and 1310, the legendary account of King Arthur and the search for the Holy Grail, which will soon be sold at auction, is written in Old French from the Lancelot-Grail cycle, on vellum – a high-quality parchment – and decorated with gold leaf. According to Christiethe auction house in central London, UK, is overseeing the sale.
The manuscript is bound in green velvet from the 17th century.
Christie’s Pictures Limited 2026
Only three such manuscripts are known to exist in private hands, Dr. Eugenio Donadoni, director of medieval and Renaissance manuscripts at Christie’s, told Global News.
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“It was an honor to be able to work on a manuscript of this rarity and caliber: the stories are universal, and still have so much to offer in terms of research and enjoyment,” he said.
“As Merlin himself predicted in the same text: ‘And the story will forever be told and gladly heard as long as the world lasts,’” Donadoni added.
He described the manuscript as “beautifully and richly illustrated” and the “oldest” of the three manuscripts in private collections.
CNN reported that the “almost unknown” manuscript has never been publicly displayed or studied in great detail, but it boasts an illustrious list of previous owners, including a 15th-century knight, a swordsman, a “medieval geek” and a 20th-century industrialist named Jean Lebaudi, who was awarded the Cross of Arms for his “heroic deeds in both world wars,” Donadoni told US media.
The manuscript dates back centuries, and is believed to be one of the oldest documents containing the legend of King Arthur.
Christy
Christie’s expects the upcoming auction to attract many potential bidders.
“There are many attractive angles to this manuscript: historical, art historical, textual and cultural. There is the Christian element – the quest for the Holy Grail; and the chivalric element: adventures, quests, duels and battles,” Donadoni told Global News, adding that its appeal is likely to extend to private buyers “for the same reasons that attracted a long line of owners who have cherished it over the past 700 years.”
The document will be auctioned on July 8 in London, England.
&Copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
