Page One

Folio 2

Rene the King and Poet, is asleep, in a magical night scene he sees himself and the figures in his dream: Amour, God of Love, is standing beside his bed and with both hands plucks the heart from Rene's breast, giving it to the Page, Ardent Desire, who stands with hands outstretched ready to receive it. It will have to remain on the power of Ardent Desire until it finds favor with the lady of Rene's dreams, Sweet Grace. It is not Rene himself who starts off on a journey of adventure with the Page, but his heart, personified as the Knight Cueur.

The artist brings this multileveled poetic allegory to life by giving its characters a three-dimensional reality, suggesting that realm between dream and daylight wherein poetry has its roots.

folio 02
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The scene is a princely bedchamber, its floor entirely covered by a mat woven Egyptian style, topped with two costly Persian rugs. The tapestry on the rear wall shows a pattern of stylized tree trunks, echoed in the upper border of the canopy, with curtains in heavy, gathered folds around the bed. The page's low cot at the right has a conical tent for a canopy. A low-burning candle beneath the simple bench at the foot of this cot modestly lights the scene from below. Thus the brightest light falls upon the Page Desire in his handsome white court dress, the skirt of his pleated tunic embroidered with red-and-yellow flames. Also well lighted is the handsome face of Amour, turned toward Desire. The God of Love's wings are blue-green; he is wearing a blue Oriental tunic with broad golden borders interwoven with an ancient Arabic script. His bows and arrows, in a richly decorated Oriental quiver, are ar his left side. The King's face is mostly in the shadow, his white bed linen catching most of the light. Strong shadows are cast by the legs of Amour and Desire. The painting's physical details are as easy to describe as it is difficult or impossible to do justice in words to it's rich, dreamy atmosphere and masterful color harmonies. .......Continue.. [ Next folio ]

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