Geneva, Bibliothèque de Genève, FR178, fol. 143r, 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

Genius absolves Nature.

Miniature description

Size:

290x213mm

Column miniature

Height: 12 lines

Materials:

Parchment,

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

Initials:

Blue and red foliate initial "S" over a gold leaf background, with foliate extenders springing upwards and downwards, partially framing the miniature and the text.

Rubric:

Directly above miniature: "Si come genius absolt nature"

Frame:

Simple gold leaf exterior frame with gold corner pieces. Interior frame is red, with a white zigzag pattern on both top and bottom and a white wave pattern on the left and right. There is another 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:

Blue, red, and gold leaf diaper pattern (lozenges) with white fleur-de-lys motifs.

Placement of miniature:

Directly following Nature's confession

Place of Production of the Miniature:

Paris, France

Date of Production of the Miniature:

1353

Similarities to other images from the corpus:

Gestures:

PML, MS. 324 fol. 128v

BISMUM, H245, fol. 118v

BSG, MS. 1126, fol.139r2

BSG, MS. 1126, fol. 139r

Secondary Sources:

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

Detailed description

Allegories:

Genius is on the left.

Nature is on the right.

Clothing and other features:

1. Genius

Long white robe over a pink alb
Black hat

2. Nature

Long red robe with tight fitting sleeves
Long blonde wavy hair

Gestures:

Genius is standing, facing right, looking down at Nature. Both his arms are extended outward, his right hand pointing up, and his left hand about to touch Nature's head in order to absolve her of her sins.

Nature is kneeling on both knees, her hands together in an act of prayer. Her head is bowed directly below Genius' hands.

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.