Medieval King Arthur manuscript could fetch £2m at auction

Book containing early versions of the Merlin and Grail legends has remained in private hands for 700 years

In one illustration, painted on vellum and decorated with gold leaf, the sorcerer Merlin is depicted as a powerful shape-shifter who has transformed into a talking stag. In another, the Knights of the Round Table are shown returning, victorious, from battle.

The illustrations appear in one of the earliest manuscripts to tell the tale of King Arthur and the search for the holy grail - a richly illuminated medieval tome which, for more than 700 years, has been in private hands.