Petit Livre d'Amour (BL Stowe MS 955)

Curry combing a horse, f. 11r.

Colloquial name(s): Petit Livre d'Amour, Emblesmes et Devises d'Amour

Official name(s): British Library Stowe MS 955

Date: c. 1500 (ff. 1r-17v) and 18th C (ff. 19r-34r) (source)

Origin: Paris and Lyon, France (source)

Online facsimile available via: British Library Digitised Manuscripts

This manuscript consists of the collection of love poems entitled Petit Livre d'Amour, which is also known as Emblesmes et Devises d'Amour and was written by Pierre Sala (source). Pierre Sala (b. 1457, d. 1529) was the valet de chambre of Louis XII and wrote the poems for his mistress and future wife, Marguerite Bullioud (source). This is evidenced by his dedication to 'Margueryte' on f. 5v and his portrait on f. 17v which is accompanied by the inscription "Set de vray le portret de Pierre Sala mestre dotel de ches le roy avec des enimes quil avoit fet a sa mestresse qui estoit grand honcle a madame de Ressis laquelle est sortie de la mayson de Guillien en Quercy" (source).

In the 18th Century, a transcription of the collection was added in, possibly when the manuscript belonged to marechal Junot, Duke of Abrantes (b. 1771, d. 1813); it consists of ff. 18r-34r (source).

The original 16th C manuscript is illustrated with 12 illustrations in colour and gold and the text is written in gold on purple-stained parchment (source). The miniatures are attributed to a Parisian artist known as the Master of the Chronique Scandaleuse, who left the face of Pierre Sala on f. 6r unfinished (source). The portrait on f. 17v is attributed to Jean Perréal (b. after 1450, d. after 1530), a portraitist who worked for the French royal family and was a friend of Sala (source).

List of illustrations (source):

6r	Pierre Sala dropping 'his' heart in a marguerite daisy, a word-play on the name of his mistress, Marguerite Bullioud.
7r	A game of blind man's buff.
8r	A table with a burning candle.
9r	A man and a woman playing bagpipes (Robin and Marion).
9*r	A man painting a portrait of a jester (the wise man and the fool).
10r	A pilgrim and a man with a bell (an illustration of the proverb 'clochier ne fault devant boîteux' - 'you shouldn't limp in front of a lame person').
11r	A horse 'fauveau' (being curry combed).
12r	A man carrying another one on his shoulders and stamping on a man lying on the ground (an illustration of the proverb 'trampling on one man to help another').
13r	Two women attempt to catch flying hearts in a net.
14r	Two women offering two dishes to a child - one of golden coins, the other of cherries.
15r	A man cutting down a tree on which he sits (an illustration of the proverb 'chopping down the branch that supports you').
16r	Two men making scythes and arrows.
17r	Portrait of Pierre Sala.