Bibliothèque interuniversitaire section médecine, Université Montpellier, H245, fol. 80r, 1375-1400 | MARGOT

Detailed manuscript information (based on Ernest Langlois, Les manuscrits du Roman de la rose. Description et classement, Geneva: Slatkine Reprints, 1974, p. 134-35):

Parchment, measure: 305x216mm, 157 fols. at two columns 42 lines. Beginning of second folio: Et qui de vous se part et emble. The Roman de la rose is on fols 1r to 131r, followed by the Codicille on fols 131r-v and the Testament on fols 131r-157r.

Scene depicted

The Duenna speaks to Fair Welcoming and offers him a flower chaplet.

Miniature description

Size:

305x216mm
Column miniature
Height: 9 lines

Material and colors:

Parchment
Gold leaf, blue, red, white, black, green

Initial:

Blue foliate initial "B" with red and blue foliates and foliate extenders springing upwards and downwards from the initial, partially framing the miniature and the text.

Rubric:

Two lines above the miniature read: "Comment la vielle aporte a belacueil le chapel que l'amant li envoie"
Fifth and sixth lines below the miniature read: "l'aucteur"

Frame:

Simple gold leaf exterior frame with gold leaf cornerpieces and a thick blue inner frame with a white wavy pattern and other decorative details.

Background:

Background is a red diaper pattern with white decorative details (alternating swastika and sun motifs) with green ground/earth under the allegories' feet.

Place of production of miniature:

France

Date of production of miniature:

1353

Similarities with other images of the corpus:

The position of the allegories is similar in the following manuscripts: BNCF, Codice Laurenziano Acquisti e Doni 153, fol. 150; BSG, Ms. 1126, fol. 90R; BGE, Ms. FR178, fol. 94v; PML, Ms. 132, fol. 103v.

Secondary Sources:

Langlois, Ernest. Les manuscrits du Roman de la Rose. Description et classement. Geneva: Slatkine Reprints, 1974, p. 134-35.

Detailed description

Allegories:

Duenna is on the left.

Fair Welcoming is on the right.

Clothing and other features:

1. Duenna

Grey robe, fitted at waist
Red headdress in the shape of a Phrygian cap
White floral chaplet

2.Fair Welcoming

Blonde hair
Red cotehardie with grey capuchon and white tippets
Black girdle with white decorative details
Gold leaf dagger tucked in the girdle
Grey chausse
Black poulaines

Gestures:

The Duenna has her left index finger raised in a gesture of speech. Her right hand is raised, offering the white floral chaplet. Fair Welcoming's right hand is raised in acceptance, with his left hand resting over his waist.

Ex-libris

Fols 1r and repeated on 157r: The signature of P. Florimond dated from 1567.
On the first flyleaf: Ms. de la bibliothèque de Mr. le P. Bouhier .C. 33. MDCCXXI.
At the end, the following lines have been added:
1. 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.

At the end of the manuscript, a booklet has been appended containing Remarques sur le Roman de la Rose by M. Lucotte, S^r du Tillot. Two of these remarks are perhaps noteworthy:

A Rome, dans la bibliothèque du cardinal Bagny, il y a un Roman de la Rose écrit de la main d'un nommé Nicolas Flamel, qui étoit un écrivain qui travailloit et négocioit à Paris et ailleurs pour les juifs en l'année 1393.
Il y a encore un ms. du Roman de la Rose dans la bibliothèque d'Oxford, qui est très bien écrit sur du velin avec de fort jolies figures en miniature, qui est une marque de son antiquité.