Ermengaud, Matfre. – Breviari d’amor. Manuscrito valenciano del siglo XV (Biblioteca Nacional de Madrd).

Matfre Ermengaud, about whose life historians still have very little information, lived in the 13th century as a monk of the Franciscan Order. This exceptionally gifted and educated monk likely composed a unique manuscript between 1288 and 1320 that combines Christian theology and historical jurisprudence with the poetry of medieval troubadours. The scholar’s incomparable masterpiece is titled “Breviari d’Amour” and is today considered an absolute highlight of Occitan literature from the 12th and 13th centuries. Here we have a Spanish translation of this great literary classic. Troubadours were poets, composers, and singers of courtly medieval poetry and song. Troubadour poetry enjoyed great popularity in the 12th and 13th centuries, particularly in southern France. An exceptionally gifted representative of this art form was the Franciscan monk Matfre Ermengaud. Between approximately 1288 and 1320, he wrote an influential work that quoted and reinterpreted the literary genre of troubadour poetry in an incomparable way. His so-called “Breviari d’Amour,” which can be translated as “Book of Hours of Love,” is today considered one of the most important works of Occitan poetry. This masterpiece is presented here in a 15th-century Spanish translation. It is illustrated with breathtaking miniatures. Numbered copy with stamp and seal signed by the notary.