Geneva, Bibliothèque de Genève, FR178, fol. 94v, 1353 | MARGOT

Detailed manuscript information (based on Ernest Langlois, Les manuscrits du Roman de la rose. Description et classement, Geneva: Slatkine Reprints, 1974, p. 195):

Parchment. 290x213, 190 fols, two columns at 39 lines, written in Paris in 1353. Beginning of the second folio: Lors pris l'aguille a enfiler. It contains the Roman de la rose fols 1-160v and the Testament on fols 161r-190v.

Scene depicted

The Duenna offers Fair Welcoming a chaplet.

Miniature description

Size:

290x213mm

Column miniature

Height: 12 lines

Material and colors:

Parchment

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

Initial:

Foliate initial "B" over a gold leaf background. Red, blue and gold leaf foliate extenders spring upwards and downwards partially framing the miniature and the text.lll

Rubric:

3 lines above the miniature read: "Comment la vieille qui garde belacueil / Li aporte le chapel que l’amant / Li envoie par le conseil de faus semblant"

Frame:

Simple gold leaf exterior frame with gold leaf corner pieces over a broader pink inner frame with a white zig zag pattern with decorative details on both the top and bottom sides of the frame and a white wavy pattern on the left and right sides of the frame. There is a further inner frame with a quatrefoil border in red, white, and blue with gold leaf fillings between the borders. Gold leaf foliate extenders and "sperm" are located on the left and right sides of the frame.

Background:

Red, blue and gold leaf diaper pattern in a checkerboard distribution surmounted by a light blue diamond pattern. In addition, there is a mound of earth where Fair Welcoming is standing.

Place of production of miniature:

France

Date of production of miniature:

1353

Similarities with other images of the corpus:

The allegories' position is similar in the following manuscripts: BNCF. Codice Laurenziano Acquisti e Doni 153, fol. 150 ; BSG. Ms. 1126, fol. 90R; BimUM. Ms. H245, fol. 80r ; PML. Ms. 132, fol. 103v.

Secondary Sources:

Langlois, Ernest. Les manuscrits du Roman de la Rose. Description et classement, Geneva: Slatkine Reprints, 1974, p. 195.

Detailed description

Allegories:

Fair Welcoming is on the left.

Duenna is on the right.

Clothing:

1. Duenna

Pink gown with tight fitting sleeves
White wimple falling to the shoulders
White floral chaplet

2. Fair Welcoming

Red cotehardie with red tippets
Pink capuchon
Grey chausses
Curly blonde hair

Black poulaines

Gestures:

The Duenna offers Fair Welcoming a chaplet, which she holds in her right hand with her left hand raised. Fair Welcoming has his right hand extended, reaching for the chaplet. His left hand is resting on his waist.

Ex-libris

Beneath the last explicit, some lines in a more modern hand have been erased.
Puis que de vous et A.S.A. qui Fortune a.
The Bibliothèque de Genève received this manuscript in 1742 from Am. Lullin who had bought it from the heirs of A. Petau.