Romance of the Rose manuscripts
Type:
Illuminated manuscripts
Date:
Mid-fourteenth century
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
France
Medium:
Parchment
Dimensions:
25.5 × 18 cm
Description:
The Roman de la Rose (Romance of the Rose) was a "best-selling" allegorical love poem written in Old French by Guillaume de Lorris and finished by Jean de Meun. The images reproduced here are from a copy made in Paris by the husband-and-wife team of Richard and Jeanne de Montbaston. At the bottoms of certain pages, Jeanne illustrated several bawdy scenes not directly related to the poem's narrative, including a nun leading a man by his his leashed penis, picking "fruit" from a penis tree, or having sex with a long-haired monk.
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
10
Repository and Online Resources:
• Flip through this copy of the Roman de la Rose on the website of the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
• See a different copy in the National Library of Wales.
• Watch a video on the Roman de la Rose from Cambridge University Library.
