Medieval & Renaissance Manuscripts

Roman de la Rose
France, Paris, between 1340 and 1350
MS M.48 fol. 1r

See more information »

1) Roman de la Rose: Scene, Lover sleeping -- Lover, with head on pillow, bare-breasted, sleeps on draped bed beside rose bush. Scene with gold background.
2) Roman de la Rose: Scene, Lover dressing -- Lover sits on bench with legs crossed, beside basin on stand below vessel suspended from rod over which cloth hangs. Scene with patterned background.
3) Roman de la Rose: Scene, Lover walking -- Lover walks between two trees in which are birds, including one owl, both trees on hilllocks from which streams flow. Scene with patterned background.
4) Roman de la Rose: Scene, Lover approaching Garden -- Lover, holding object with right hand and with left hand raised, stands before crenellated tower in which are three standing images of Personifications in windows. Scene with diapered background.
All scenes within tricolored (red, white, and blue) barbed quatrefoil frames.
Below miniature, rubric caption of scene, CE EST LI ROMANS DE LA ROSE OU LART DAMOURS EST TOUTE ENCLOSE.
Below miniature in left column, champide initial M of Maintes decorated with ivy foliate ornament, as incipit of text, MAINTES GENS DIENT QUE EN SONGES / N’A SE FABLES NON ET MENCONGES.
Below miniature in right column, champide initial D of De decorated with ivy foliate ornament, at beginning of text, DE CROIRE QUE SONGES AUIEGNE / QUI SE VOUDRA POR FOL ME TIEGNE.
Margins surrounding text by rectilinear bars with ivy leaves, forming five medallions enclosing busts of hooded man, monkey, two bishops wearing miters, and cardinal wearing red hat, inhabited by dragon in left margin (partly visible), two birds and insect in right margin, and by rabbit pursued by dog and another dog and huntsman with horn and club in lower margin (bas-de-page).