Alcuin Blamires & Gail C. Holian The Romance of the Rose Illuminated Manuscripts at the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth central work in medieval culture and niod- L. em scholarship, the Romance of the Rose was among the most consistendy illustrated of medi- eval secular texts. Consequendy, interpretation of the visual evidence has played a significant part in elucidating the poem and its derivatives. This vol- ume reproduces in color, with commentary and full contextual discussion, all the miniatures from five unpublished illuminated manuscripts of Le Roman de la Rose in the National Library of Wales. This book is a "must" for those who teach and study medieval literature in most European languages and especially for those who study Chaucer — a poet who absorbed the Romance of the Rose to the core by translating it. THE ROMANCE OF THE ROSE ILLUMINATED Medieval and Renaissance Texts and Studies Volume 2 2 3 Explicit with scribal sketch of a rose: "Finit le Romant de le Rose ou lart damour est toute enclose. Deo gracias" [Here ends the Romance of the Rose, in which the art of love is wholly enclosed. Thanks be to God]. Aberystwyth, NLW MS 5014D, fol. 146r (mid-fifteenth century). By permission of the National Library of Wales. THE ROMANCE OF THE ROSE ILLUMINATED Manuscripts at the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth by Alcuin Blamires and Gail C. Holian Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies Tempe, Arizona 2002 A generous grant from the Florence Gould Foundation has assisted in meeting the publication costs of this volume. © 2002 Arizona Board of Regents for Arizona State University Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Blamires, Alcuin, and Holian, Gail. The Romance of the rose illuminated : manuscripts at the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth / Alcuin Blamires and Gail C. Holian. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN : 0-86698-265-5 1. Guillaume, de Lords, fl. 1230. Roman de la Rose — Manuscripts. 2. Gui- llaume, de Lorris, fl. 1230. Roman de la Rose — Illustrations. 3. Illuminations of books and manuscripts. Medieval. 4. National Library of Wales. I. HoHan, Gail C. II. National Library of Wales. III. Title. PQ1530.A3 B53 2001 841'.1—dc21 2001056183 This book is made to last. It is set in Bembo, smythe-sewn and printed on acid-free paper to library specifications. Printed in the United States of America Contents Acknowledgements ix Abbreviations xi List of Illustrations Color Plates xii Black and White Figures xiii Preface xv Introduction xvii A Survey of Iconographical Studies of the Rose 1 The Rose Illustrated: Commentary on the Plates i. Dating the Illuminations 26 ii. The Frontispieces {Incipit Illustrations) 31 iii. The Images on the Wall 41 iv. The Garden 64 V. The Continuation 87 Descriptions of the Manuscripts of the Roman de la Rose at the National Library of Wales, by Daniel Huws 103 NLWMS5011E 106 NLW MS 501 2E 108 NLWMS5013D 112 NLWMS5014D 115 NLW MS 501 5D 118 NLW MS 5016D 121 NLW MS 5017D 126 BibUography 129 Acknowledgements To address the Romance of the Rose and its manuscript illustrations is to engage with a subject that presents many challenges of a specialised nature. In pre- paring this volume, we are fortunate to have enjoyed the assistance of numerous scholars who have shared their expertise with us. No one knows the AberystAA^th manuscripts better than their erstwhile curator Daniel Huws, whose collaboration has been altogether invaluable. Meradith McMunn gave us access to unpublished materials and brought her considerable knowledge of illuminated Rose manuscripts to bear on iconographic details. Domenic Leo enlightened us concerning the affili- ations of one Aberystwyth manuscript; Francois Avril provided invaluable sugges- tions and corroboration concerning others. Useful hints about dating came also from Anne Sutton and Alison Stones. A tentative inquiry to Mary and Richard Rouse about a named scribe in one manuscript led to an exchange of information from which we benefited much. Kitty Howells and Rose Williams generously as- sisted us with their language skills, and C. W. Marx with his palaeographical acumen. The academic development of the volume was agreeably encouraged by many others including AUen Samuels, Martha Driver, Flora Lewis, and Renate Blumenfeld-Kosinski. For crucial support of our project it is our pleasure to thank Sister Barbara Williams (former President, Georgian Court College) and Keith Robbins (Vice- Chancellor, University of Wales, Lampeter), as well as the administrators of the Pantyfedwen Research Fund at the latter institution. For practical assistance in bringing the project to fruition and for generosity in waiving reproduction fees we are grateful to Brynley Roberts and Lionel Madden, former Librarians at the Na- tional Library of Wales, and the current Librarian, Andrew Green, as well as Mari Wyn of the Marketing Department. We could not have done without the skill of the Library's meticulous Photographer, Gareth Hughes. We are grateful, too, to the successive General Editors of MRTS who took up our proposal and saw it into print, namely Mario Di Cesare and Robert Bjork. Our deepest debt, however, is to the Florence Gould Foundation (New York) for most generously underwriting the Anglo-American research collaboration upon which this book is based, and for subsidising the cost of the color repro- Acknowledgements ductions. Without the Gould Foundation, and in particular without the good offices of Daniel Davison, John R. Young, and Jay and Anne Harbeck, the book would not have come into existence. — Alcuin Blamires and Gail C. Holian Abbreviations BL The British Library, London BN Bibhotheque nationale de France, Paris Bodl. The Bodleian Library, Oxford CUL Cambridge University Library EETS Early English Text Society Morgan The Pierpont Morgan Library, New York NLW The National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth ONB Osterreichische Nationalbibliothek, Vienna List of Illustrations Color Plates Reproducedfrom Roman de la Rose manuscripts by kind permission of the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, Wales. 1. Frontispiece: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 501 7D, fol. Ir 2. Frontispiece: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 501 3D, fol. Ir 3. Haine: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 5017D, fol. 2r 4. Haine: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 5016D, fol. 3r 5. Haine: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 5013D, fol. 2r 6. Felonie: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 501 3D, fol. 2r 7. Vilanie: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 5013D, fol. 2r 8. Vilanie: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 5017D, fol. 2r 9. Covoitise: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 5017D, fol. 2r 10. Covoitise: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 501 6D, fol. 3r 11. Covoitise and Avarice: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 5013D, fol. 2v 12. Avarice: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 5017D, fol. 2v 13. Avarice: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 5016D, fol. 3v 14. Envie: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 5017D, fol. 2v 15. Envie: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 501 6D, fol. 3v 16. Envie: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 5013D, fol. 3r 17. Tritesce: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 5017D, fol. 3r 18. Tritesce: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 501 6D, fol. 4r 19. Tritesce: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 5013D, fol. 3v 20. Vielleice: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 5017D, fol. 3v 21. Vielleice: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 5016D, fol. 4v 22. VieUeice: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 5013D, fol. 4r 23. Papelardie: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 5017D, fol. 4r 24. Papelardie: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 5016D, fol. 5r 25. Papelardie: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 5013D, fol. 4v 26. Povrete: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 5017D, fol. 4r 27. Povrete: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 5016D, fol. 5r 28. Povrete: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 501 3D, fol. 4v List of Illustrations 29. The Lover encounters Oiseuse: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 501 6D, fol. 5v 30. The Lover in the garden with birds: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 501 6D, fol. 6v 31. Oiseuse leads the Lover to the garden gate: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 501 6D, fol. 7r 32. The Carole: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 5017D, fol. 6v 33. Deduiz (or the Lover) walks among trees: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 5016D, fol. 8r 34. Narcissus gazes at the spring: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 5016D, fol. llv 35. The God of Love shoots an arrow at the Lover: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 5016D, fol. 13r 36. The Lover's homage; the God of Love locks his heart: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 501 6D, fol. 15r 37. The God of Love locks the Lover's heart: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 5016D, fol. 15r 38. Bel Acueil reprimands the Lover: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 501 6D, fol. 20v 39. Reason addresses the Lover: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 5016D, fol. 21r 40. The Jalous beats his wife (misplaced): Aberystwyth, NLW MS 5016D, fol. 26v 41. Author writing: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 5016D, fol. 28r 42. Friend advises the Lover: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 5016D, fol. 47r 43. The Lover meets Richece and her partner: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 501 6D, fol. 64r 44. Venus aims at the casde: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 501 6D, fol. 129v 45. Pygmahon sculpts a female form: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 5016D, fol. 130r 46. Venus and Pygmalion (whole opening): Aberystwyth, NLW MS 501 6D, fols. 129v-130r 47. Frontispiece: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 501 IE, fol. Ir 48. Frontispiece: Aberystwyth, NLW MS 5014D, fol. Ir 49. Explicit with scribal sketch of a rose: Aberystv^th, NLW MS 5014D, fol. 146r Black and White Figures Reproduced by kind permission of the British Library, London; the Bibliotheque nationale de France, Paris; the Pierpont Morgan Library, New York; and the Bodleian Library, Oxford. 1. "Equite" and "Felonnie": Somme le roi, London, BL MS Add. 28162, fol. 7v 2. The Poet dreams of a debating theologian and knight: Le Songe du verger, London, BL MS Royal 19 C IV, fol. Iv List of Illustrations 3. The Duke received by St Peter at the gate of Paradise: The Grandes Heures of the Duke of Berry, Paris, BN MS lat. 919, fol. 96r 4. Venus heats Bel Acueil with her firebrand: Roman de la Rose, New York, Morgan MS M 132, fol. 30r 5. Poor and Honte waken Dangiers: Roman de la Rose, Oxford, Bodl.