King Arthur manuscript in private hands for 700 years goes on sale - for a huge price | CNN

A medieval manuscript featuring an early version of the tales of King Arthur and Merlin, which has been in private hands for about 700 years, is going under the hammer in a rare sale this summer. Expected to fetch up to $2.7 million, the illuminated manuscript, which dates from the 13th or 14th century, is one of the earliest documents to narrate the legend of King Arthur and the search for the holy grail. Written sometime between 1290 and 1310, the Clermont-Tonnerre Grail is the highlight of an upcoming Valuable Books and Manuscripts auction at Christie’s in July. The tome contains text in Old French from a series known as the Lancelot-Grail cycle and has been valued at between £1.5 million ($2 million) and £2 million ($2.7 million). Written on vellum and decorated with gold leaf, the manuscript features 126 “rich illustrations” of the legend that has spawned countless books, films and academic debates, according to Eugenio Donadoni, director of medieval and renaissance manuscripts at Christie’s. Among the images are some depicting Merlin the magician shape-shifting into different forms and some of the tales of King Arthur and his knights. It has never been publicly exhi

May 28, 2026 → May 28, 2026