24 October 2024
Medieval Women: the items on display
Medieval Women: In Their Own Words is on show at the British Library in London from 25 October 2024–2 March 2025.
The manuscript of Julian of Norwich's Revelations of Divine Love: Add MS 37790
On display is an extraordinary array of manuscripts, documents, early printed books, paintings, coins, textiles and objects associated with women from across medieval Europe. They feature unique items from the British Library's own collections, alongside major loans from the Louvre, the British Museum, the Victoria & Albert Museum, and other institutions. We are extremely grateful to our lenders for making this exhibition possible.
Portrait of Margaret of York (d. 1503): on loan to the Medieval Women exhibition from Musée du Louvre
You can explore some of the items in the exhibition in more detail here.
- Julian of Norwich, The Revelations of Divine Love, 15th century: Add MS 37790 (The British Library)
- Disease woman, in the Wellcome Apocalypse, 15th century (©The Wellcome Collection)
- A herbal containing plants used in medical treatments, late 13th or early 14th century: Egerton MS 747 (The British Library)
- Maraviglia's prayer book, 1469: Add MS 26957 (The British Library)
- The Sister Haggadah, 14th century: Or 2884 (The British Library)
- Portrait of Margaret of York, 15th century (©Musée du Louvre)
- 'And I war a maydyn', 16th century: Add MS 31922 (The British Library)
- Trousseau or marriage chest of Elizabetta Gonzaga, c. 1488 (©The Victoria & Albert Museum)
- Legal decisions of Isaiah di Trani the Elder, 1293 (©The Bodleian Libraries)
- Ivory cross of Sibylle of Flanders, before 1163 (©Musée du Louvre)
- Gold coin of Shajar al-Durr, first female sultan of Egypt, 1250 (© The British Museum)
- Portrait of Lady Margaret Beaufort, by an unknown artist, 16th century (©Christ's College, Cambridge)
- Embroidered altar band made by Joan of Beverley, 14th century (©The Victoria & Albert Museum)
A gold coin of Shajar al-Durr, the first female sultan of Egypt: on loan to the Medieval Women exhibition from the British Museum
This exhibition is made possible with support from Joanna and Graham Barker, Unwin Charitable Trust, and Cockayne – Grants for the Arts: a donor advised fund held at the London Community Foundation.
Follow us @BLMedieval