This missal is the only surviving copy of the first ever edition of the pre-Reformation English prayer book and contains the first instance of Caxton's use of his publisher's mark as well as being an exceptionally early example of dual-colour printing. It is the same edition as the one said to have been in the Shrine of Edward the Confessor in Westminster Abbey but which does not survive. This work was part of the original book collection at Lyme Park when it was handed over to the National Trust in 1946 and it enhances the book's national importance to see it redisplayed in the house where it resided for five centuries. This work was acquired with assistance from the Wolfson Foundation.
More information
Title of artwork, date
Missale ad Usum Sarum (Sarum Missal), 1487
Date supported
2008
Medium and material
Ink on paper, leather binding
Dimensions
34 x 24 cm
Grant
100000
Total cost
465492
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