The manuscript is generally believed to be of English origin. According to Bruun, the script is definitely of English origin. The 1926 catalog of the Copenhagen Kongelige Bibliotek manuscript collection also assigns the manuscript to England, though the catalog does not cite a specific reason for this assessment.

The text of the manuscript generally follows the Etymologies of Isidore with additions from other sources.

The manuscript has 117 illustrations on its 77 folios. The illustrations have no gold at all, and are simple colored drawings, rarely with any background. The drawings in Anne's bestiary have a decidedly whimsical air to them. The artist seems to have had a sense of humor.

The manuscript bears Anne's name because someone has written "Anne Walshe" in several variations on multiple pages. Who "Anne" was is not known. The writing is often a scribble, suggesting that "Anne" used the blank areas of the manuscript to practice her writing. Some of the images have also been marked up (e.g: the extra teeth on the wolf, folio 16v). See Badke for more on "Anne" and the scribbles.

Additional Descriptions

Additional description

Editions and Facsimiles

Digital facsimiles

Kongelige Bibliotek