Discover Two Medieval Manuscripts Reunited
The University of Chicago is celebrating the acquisition of a manuscript of Le Roman de la Rose (The Romance of the Rose) and its reunion with Le Jeu des échecs moralisé (The Moralized Game of Chess), a manuscript that has been in the Library’s collection since 1931. Each of these two popular medieval texts — one a courtly romance, the other a treatise on medieval society that uses the game of chess as its framework — was written and decorated in France, ca. 1365.
The University of Chicago Library’s manuscripts of Le Roman de la Rose (The Romance of the Rose) and Le Jeu des échecs moralisé (The Moralized Game of Chess) were bound together, perhaps soon after they were created, and stayed together for over 500 years. In 1907 they were disbound and sent their separate ways. By bringing them back together, The University of Chicago Library has made it possible for scholars to study the two manuscripts together to learn about their shared origin and production history. This Web site provides background information about the texts and the Chicago manuscripts; and access to the complete manuscripts.
© The University of Chicago Library
