Gospels of Henry the Lion
Overview
Commissioned by Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony and Bavaria, and his wife Matilda, daughter of Henry II of England, and made at Helmarshausen Abbey in the late 12th century. A celebrated miniature shows the ducal couple being crowned by the hand of God. Sold at Sotheby's in 1983 to a consortium of German federal and state governments for over 8 million pounds, it was then the most expensive manuscript ever sold.
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