Rutebeuf: an author apart

In BNF fr. 837, one author in particular is given a starring role: the famous thirteenth-century poet Rutebeuf. Manuscript compilers rarely grouped together works according to authorship in the thirteenth century. Indeed, most shorter texts of this period are anonymous or unattributed.

Who was Rutebeuf?

Rubric and image of Baudouin de Condé precedes his collection. Paris, Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal, MS 3142 f. 300v Reproduced by courtesy of Bibliothèque nationale de France : gallica.bnf.fr/?lang=EN

Rubric and image of Baudouin de Condé precede his collection of works.
Paris, Bibliothèque de l’Arsenal, MS 3142, f. 300v
Reproduced by courtesy of Bibliothèque nationale de France : gallica.bnf.fr/?lang=EN

Paris, Bibliothèque de l’Arsenal, MS 3142 is another contemporary codex which explicitly delineates an author’s collection of short works. This thirteenth-century French text collection includes a series of works by the poet Baudouin de Condé, introduced by a rubric (in red) marking his authorship and illustration. The image on the right shows the author Baudouin, dressed as a cleric, offering his works to the Virgin Mary and Christ child.