Ashburnham Pentateuch (Tours Pentateuch)

Date: Late 6th – early 7th century
Origin: Probably Italy, later at Tours
Language: Latin (Vulgate with Vetus Latina elements)
Material: Parchment, illuminated
Dimensions: approx. 12 × 9 in. (305 × 230 mm) Facsimile is the same size
Current Location: Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris (NAL 2334)

The Ashburnham Pentateuch, also known as the Tours Pentateuch, is one of the most important surviving biblical manuscripts of the early Middle Ages. Containing the first five books of the Bible (Genesis–Deuteronomy), it represents both a crucial witness to the Latin textual tradition and one of the earliest surviving programs of Christian narrative illustration.

The manuscript is renowned for its lavish miniatures, which depict the Creation, stories of the Patriarchs, and the Exodus with remarkable energy. Executed in a late antique style, the miniatures reveal classical drapery, architecture, and continuous narrative techniques, making the manuscript a pivotal link between the artistic traditions of Late Antiquity and the medieval West.

The codex’s later presence at Tours ensured its influence on Carolingian manuscript illumination, while its turbulent modern history saw it pass into the Ashburnham collection after being stolen by the infamous book thief Guglielmo Libri. Now safely preserved in the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the Ashburnham Pentateuch continues to be a cornerstone for the study of biblical text and early Christian art.