Paris, Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève, Ms. 1126, fol. 77r, 1350-1360 | MARGOT

Detailed manuscript information (based on Ernest Langlois, Les manuscrits du Roman de la rose. Description et classement, Geneva: Slatkine Reprints, 1974, p. 85):

Parchment, measure: 302x217mm, 155 fols, two columns at 38 lines. Beginning of second folio: Lors de ville ou talant d'aler. The manuscript contains the Roman de la rose. At the end, the following lines have been added:

Explicit le Romans de la Rose,
Ou l'Art d'Amours est toute enclose.
Nature rit, si com moy semble,
Quant hic et hec joingnent ensemble

Scene depicted

False Seeming kneels in front of the God of Love as he speaks.

Miniature description

Size:

302x217mm

Column miniature

Height: Approx. 9 lines

Material and colors:

Parchment

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

Initial:

Foliate initial “O” below miniature in white and red with black decorative details, and foliate extenders on the inside of the letter against a gold leaf background. Initial is encased in a black square frame.

Rubric:

Three lines above text that read: “Ci recoit le diex d'amors faux / Semblant en sa compaingnie / Et le fait roys des ribaux"

Frame:

Visible deterioration of frame.

Simple gold leaf exterior frame with gold leaf cornerpieces. Interior frame is blue with a white zigzag pattern with decorative details on both the top and bottom and a white wavy pattern on the left and right sides.

Background:

Background is reddish-orange with a dark red diaper pattern. Squares are decorated with gold leaf and white dots and circles, in alternating (checkerboard) fashion.

Place of production of miniature:

Paris, France

Date of production of miniature:

1350-1360

Similarities with other images of the corpus:

The position of the allegories is similar in the following manuscripts: BGE, Ms. Fr. 178, fol. 82r; BimUM, Ms. H245, fol. 69v; ÖNB, Codex 2592, fol. 75v.

Secondary Sources:

Langlois, Ernest. Les manuscrits du Roman de la Rose. Description et Classement. Geneva: Slatkine Reprints, 1974, p. 85.

Detailed description

Allegories:

False Seeming is on the right.

God of Love is on the left.

Clothing and other features:

1. God of Love

Grey cotehardie with grey tippets
Dark blue chausse
Pink kirtle
Black poulaines
Light pink wings
Blonde hair
Gold leaf crown

2. False Seeming

Brown monk’s habit with cowl
White alb
Tonsured head (with blonde hair)

Gestures:

False Seeming kneels in submission to the God of Love, holding the God of Love's left hand. The God of Love is standing in front of False Seeming, right hand raised in a gesture of speech. His left hand is being held by False Seeming in a gesture of acceptance or gratitude.