Parchment fragment from the Cotton Genesis with Abraham

This miniature from a luxury illustrated copy of Genesis, once belonging to the collection of Sir Robert Cotton (d. 1631), depicts Abraham standing before 3 angels (2 preserved) who appear to him as men by the oak of Mamre and are waited on by him (Genesis 18:2). The illustrations are in the tradition of Hellenistic and Roman painting. The sumptuous quality
 of the volume, despite its near-destruction by fire in 1731, provides valuable evidence for the high quality of Late Antique book production.