However, what was believed to be two different manuscripts actually belonged to the same codex, resulting in a total of seven Old Testament manuscripts in the collection, all following the text of the There are three New Testament manuscripts that are part of the Chester Beatty Papyri. His eye was drawn to richly illustrated material, fine bindings and beautiful calligraphy, but he was also deeply committed to preserving texts for their historic value. "Beatty’s reputation as a collector grew, and so did his network of advisers and agents. There are eleven manuscripts in the group, seven consisting of portions of Old Testament books, three consisting of portions of the New Testament, and one consisting of portions of the Book of Enoch and an unidentified Christian homily. His purpose-built library on Shrewsbury Road in a suburb of Dublin opened in 1953, first for researchers and later to the public. Most are dated to the 3rd century. U Political deviations from his free-market values, coupled with increased foreign exchange restrictions impacted both his personal and collecting interests in Britain.
They are housed in part at the Chester Concerned that it would be dispersed if he were to leave it to a large institution, he found another solution. "In 1950, at the age of 75, Chester Beatty handed over the reins of Selection Trust to his son Chester Jr and relocated to Dublin, taking many by surprise.The reason often cited is Beatty’s growing frustration with post-war Britain, not least the defeat of the Conservative party in the 1945 general election. He concerned himself only with works of the finest quality, and this became the hallmark of his collection. There were other, personal, considerations, however, and his old spirit of adventure surely played a part. He was made a Beatty died in Monte Carlo in Monaco in 1968; his Irish estate was valued at £7 million.The Chester Beatty Library on Shrewsbury Road and the collection it housed was bequeathed to a trust on behalf of the people of Ireland. The major library and museum institutions anticipated his presence when prospecting acquisitions. Seanad 1985: "Chester Beatty died at the Princess Grace Clinic, Monte Carlo, on 19 January 1968, [...]" (some sources give this as 20 January). While she was buying Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings and French furniture, Beatty was acquiring important Islamic material, including an exceptional collection of illuminated copies of the Quran, and Mughal, Turkish and Persian manuscripts. By this time Edith was also establishing herself as a serious collector in her own right. He was a collector of African, Asian, European and Middle Eastern manuscripts, rare printed books, prints and objets d'art.