Bibliothèque nationale de France Ms fr. 12595, fol. 44v, XVth century | MARGOT

Detailed manuscript information (based on Ernest Langlois, Les manuscrits du Roman de la rose. Description et classement, Geneva : Slatkine Reprints, 1974, p. 48-49):

Parchment, measure: 325x231mm, 200 fols numbered by a rubricator, at two columns, 37 lines. Beginning of second folio: D'un aiguillier mignot et gent. Binding with Napoleon's coat of arms. The Roman appears on fols 1-157r, followed by the Testament on fols 158r-167v. Fol. 168 is left blank followed by the Sept articles de la foi on fols 169r-200r and the Codicille on fol. 200r-v.

Scene depicted

Lady Reason offers her advice to Lover.

Miniature Description

Size:

Column picture.

Height: 12 lines.

Material and colors:

Parchment

Blue, red, white, pink, green, gold leaf

Rubric:

Located on the right side above miniature. Reads: “Raison qui p[ar]le a lama[n]s”

Frame:

Gilded outer border with red and white inner bars. Foliate tendrils with golden leaves extend from left side of the frame.

Background:

Diaper pattern background. Diagonal grid. Alternating blue and gilded lozenges. Illusionistic green ground.

Place of production of miniature:

Paris, France

Date of production of miniature:

15th century

Similarities with other images from the corpus:

Lady Reason matches gestures depicted in all three miniatures from BNF, Ms. Fr. 12595 as well as gestures in PML, Ms. M. 324, ÖNB, Codex 2592 , BMC, Ms. 207, KBR, Ms. 4782.

Secondary sources:

Fleming, John V. TheRoman de la Rose: a Study in Allegory and Iconography. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1969

Lady Reason is typically thought of as a queen, represented with a crown and standing by or descending from her tower, a symbol of her exalted station and a reminder that she descends to aid man. Sometimes wears the scarf of 14thcentury Gothic Virgins (Fleming 113).
Reason shares the iconographical attributes of Lady Philosophy, kinship with Divine Sapience, or the Second Person of the Trinity in both Guillaume and Jean (Fleming 114).

Detailed description

Allegories:

Lady Reason on the right

Lover on the left

Clothing:

1. Lover

Blue houppeland trimmed with white.
Red chaperon
Black girdle
Red gipser
Red bombards

2. Lady Reason

Rose coloured long robe with white tippets
White kirtle
Gold Crown on her head

Gestures:

Lady Reason's index finger is elevated in a gesture of speech signifying her role as a teacher.

The Lover appears with his arms crossed over his chest in the signifying his role as a listener.

Ex-libris

On last flyleaf: Ce livre est au duc de Berry. Jehan
Following the Roman, several ex-libris have been erased and are illegible.