The Meeting Of Sir Lancelot And Queen Guinevere, in "The Romance Of Lancelot Du Lac"

Guinevere and Lancelot's adulterous passion was enabled by Galehaut (in Italian: Galeotto). Boccaccio calls himself the "Galeotto" for the lonely, bored ladies he claims he's writing the Decameron for...

French translation by Laurent du Premerfait. Made for Edward IV of England. Master of the Getty Froissart, Bruges, circa 1480, 480 x 340 mm, Royal MS 14 E v, f. 291.

The text contained in this manuscript made accessible to noble readers a huge collection of stories relating the fate of great men and women from the past. The 76 illustrations offered its owner, King Edward IV of England, one of the most extensive visual representations of those stories. They also allowed the principal illuminator to explore further his interest in the depiction of sophisticated interiors and landscapes. Within this miniature is depicted the strange encounter that inspired Boccaccio to continue working on the present text. Rather than focusing on the symbolically grotesque aspects of Lady Fortune, such as her numerous arms, the illuminator created a more poetic image set within a gently lit interior opening out over a pleasant Flemish landscape. For more details visit the British Library's website here.

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