Getty Museum

Courtesy with a Knight; Idleness Opening the Door for the Lover

Date

about 1405

Medium

Tempera colors, gold leaf, and ink

Culture

French

Department

Manuscripts

Institution

Getty Museum

The first portion of the lover's dream introduces the allegorical characters who aid or obstruct the lover in his quest for the rose, his lady. The two miniatures on this page feature Courtesy and Idleness. Courtesy, on the left, graciously holds the hand of a young knight with whom she dances. When the lover enters the garden in which the narrative will unfold, Courtesy is the first to approach him, and she directly invites him to join a merry group of dancers. On the right, Idleness uses her key to admit the lover to the garden through a wicket. Although the gate appears here as a small, independent building, the text describes the garden as entirely enclosed by a wall. The figures wear the fashionable clothes of the nobility of the early 1400s, including lavish sleeves and elaborate headdresses.

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