Collection items

Alexander Pope's translation of The Iliad, written...

Manuscript, Letter Created date: 1707–1722

Alexander Pope’s version of The Iliad – Homer’s Greek epic poem – was drafted on scraps of paper, often using the back...

An exact view of the inside of the Court of the Pr...

Etching, Engraving, View Created date: 1706-39

It was common practice in early modern printmaking to repurpose existing engravings. This print of the inner courtyard o...

An illustration of Ganesh

Image, Manuscript, Illustration Created date: c. 18th century

This is one of 12 miniatures from a manuscript of Hindu rituals and devotional tracts. The manuscript is written in the...

Bhagavad Gita, 18th century

Manuscript Created date: 18th century

A finely illustrated manuscript version of the Bhagavad Gītā, one of the most inspiring expressions of Hindu spiritualit...

Devi Mahatmya

Manuscript Created date: 18th century

An illustrated version of the Devī Māhātmya (‘Glorification of the Goddess’), describing the Goddess Durgā’s battle agai...

Early 18th century Ottoman munseat

Manuscript Created date: Early 18th century

The İnşā’-i a‘là belongs to a common genre of literature in the Ottoman Empire called münşeat. These works includ...

Etruscan alphabet from inscriptions

Manuscript Created date: 1552-1717

Greek colonists took the alphabet to Italy, where the Etruscans changed it to suit their needs. These 16th-century notes...

Figure of Mercury found at Colchester

Pen and ink Created date: before 1726?

This ink drawing in the King’s Topographical Collection depicts a small statue of the Roman god Mercury found in Colches...

Haftarot for Passover

Manuscript Created date: 1700–1799

The manuscript contains Haftarot (singular Haftarah) for the Passover festival. What is Haftarah? Haftarah is a selected...

Jain diagram Two and a Half Continents, Adhai-dvip...

Manuscript, Map Created date: 18th century

Jains believe the universe is divided in three worlds: the heavens, the middle world and the hells. This is a traditiona...

Jewish marriage-ring

Object Created date: 16th–19th century

This elaborate Jewish marriage-ring has a delicate pattern of twisted gold threads and bright enamel flowers. The ring f...

Letters from Daniel Defoe to Robert Harley, 1703‒1...

Manuscript, Letter Created date: 1703–1714

This remarkable collection of letters comprises the correspondence between Daniel Defoe and Robert Harley, first Earl o...

Letters from John Gay to Jonathan Swift about The ...

Manuscript, Letter Created date: 1711‒1738

These letters record the friendship between two of the most celebrated authors of the 18th century – John Gay and Jonath...

Polyglot Psalter

Manuscript Created date: 1600–1799

A Hebrew psalm-book with parallel Greek, Latin and English translations. What are Psalms? The Book of Psalms (in Hebrew...

Register of circumcisions

Manuscript Created date: c. 1700–1799

An 18th-century registry of circumcisions, including instructions for the service. Circumcision in Judaism Circumcision...