Bibliothèque nationale de France Ms fr. 380, fol. 73r, ca. 1400 | MARGOT

Detailed manuscript information (based on Ernest Langlois, Les manuscrits du Roman de la rose. Description et classement, Geneva: Slatkine Reprints, 1974, p. 5-6).

Parchment, measure: 374x280mm, 160 fols at two columns, 41 lines. Beginning of second folio: Ens en le milieu vi Haïne. Bound in the coat of arms of Colbert. This manuscript contains the Roman de la rose (fols 1-139r), the Testament (fols 140r-153r) by Jean de Meun, the Sept articles de la foi (fols 154r-159v) by Jean Chapuis and the Codicille (159v-160r).

Scene depicted

False Seeming kneels to the God of Love as he speaks.

Miniature description

Size:

374x280mm

Column miniature

13 lines

Material and colors:

Parchment

Gold leaf, blue, red, white, brown, black

Initial:

Pen-flourished initial “F” below miniature in brown ink with black decorative details.

Rubric:

Rubric above the miniature reads: “le dieux d'amors Faulx semblant”

Rubric below the miniature reads: “Comment le dieu d'amors recoit faussemblant a sa court”

Frame:

Miniature: Simple black exterior frame with blue and white inner frame.

Background:

Background has blue and gold leaf diaper pattern. The gold leaf creates a diamond pattern with a cross inscribed in the centre.

Place of production of miniature:

France

Date of production of miniature:

1400

Similarities with other images of the corpus:

The position of the allegories is similar in the following manuscripts: PML, Ms. 132, fol. 78r; JPG, Ms. Lud. XV 7, fol. 70r; Fitzwilliam Museum, Ms. 169, fol. 48v.

Secondary Sources:

Langlois, Ernest. Les manuscrits du Roman de la Rose. Description et classement. Geneva: Slatkine Reprints, 1973, pp. 5-6.

Detailed description

Allegories:

God of Love is on the right.

False Seeming is on the left.

Clothing and other features:

1. False Seeming

Black monk’s habit with cowl
White alb
Tonsured head (with brown hair)

2. God of Love

Red houppeland with high collar trimmed with white
Blue bombards
Gold leaf girdle
Pink wings
Gold leaf crown
Blonde hair

Gestures:

False Seeming bows to the God of Love. God of Love is standing in front of False Seeming, his right hand raised in a gesture of speech and his left hand on his hip.

Ex-libris

On a flyleaf: Le Romant de la Rose. Est a Jehan, filz de roy de France, duc de Berry et d'Auvergne, conte de Poitou, d'Estampes, de Bouloingne et d'Auvergne. Flamel.
Fol. 160r: Ce livre est au duc de Berry. Jehan. The Duke of Berry had received it on July 7 (or June) 1403 from Martin Gouge, bishop of Chartres and the duke's treasurer. It was given to Guillaume Lurin on March 3, 1414. (Langlois, 5 n.1)