British Library’s manuscripts go digital

The only copy of the epic poem ‘Beowulf’ was made about AD1000. The manuscript also contains a text called ‘Marvels of the East’, which describes centaurs and ‘Blemmyae’, strange men with no heads and their faces on their chests

The parchment pages of ‘Beowulf’ were damaged by fire in 1731, and have since been mounted on modern paper

Book of Hours, ‘Use of Rome (The Golf Book)’, c1540, in Latin. Books of Hours [Christian devotional books, often illuminated] typically begin with a calendar giving saints days. For May the image is of ladies and gentlemen riding, with Gemini in a roundel in the right-hand border

This calendar scene for the month of September gives this manuscript its name, ‘Golf Book’. It is said to be one of the earliest known representations of the game of golf

The Gospel of Mark, ‘Harley Golden Gospels’, first quarter of the 9th century, in Latin. An Evangelist portrait of Mark writing the first words of his Gospel in an open book. Above him, his symbol, a lion, unrolls a scroll bearing the same words

On the opening page of the Gospel of John the letter ‘I’ is supported by the eagle of John and decorated with two medallions showing John and the Lamb of God

This page from the Gospel of John is written entirely in gold, as is the rest of the text, giving the manuscript the epithet ‘Golden Gospels’

A page from Leonardo da Vinci’s notebook (‘The Codex Arundel’) showing his characteristic left-handed mirror writing and technical drawings, 1478-1518, in Italian. Leonardo’s notebooks provide a fascinating insight into his creative process. One scholar has described them as containing “an explosion of ideas”. Leonardo was an exceptionally skilled draughtsman, whose sketches record natural phenomena, the designs of apparatuses and machines, and allegorical drawings

Here Leonardo advises how to design a coal stove that would provide long-lasting heat. He probably executed this drawing about 1500, in connection with his duties as court artist and engineer in Milan

The ‘Petit Livre d’Amour’ was commissioned in about 1500 by Pierre Sala as a gift for Marguerite Bullioud, and contains a collection of love poems that he wrote for her. Pierre and Marguerite were childhood sweethearts but went on to marry other people; when they were both widowed, they eventually married each other in about 1515-1519. Here, Pierre places his heart into a ‘Marguerite’ flower

A portrait of the author of ‘Petit Livre d’Amour’, Pierre Sala, attributed to Jean Perréal

In ‘The Silos Apocalypse’ John’s vision of Christ in Majesty is surrounded by the symbols of the four Evangelists: the angel of Matthew, the eagle of John, the lion of Mark and the ox of Luke, at the beginning of Beatus of Liébana’s commentary on Revelation

Here, Christ is surrounded by angels appearing in a cloud above the 24 Elders of the Apocalypse, at the beginning of the commentary on Revelation 1:7-10

Also in ‘The Silos Apocalypse’ is a map of the world where the earth is surrounded by the ocean. Numerous inscriptions identify geographical regions and cities, but only the most important places are shown in more detail. Jerusalem is represented as an architectonical structure (doubtless referring to the Temple of Jerusalem) and the Garden of Eden is seen with Adam and Eve being tempted by a snake