Beautiful poetry for his beloved: the masterpiece by Pierre Sala on the themes of love, wisdom, poverty, and success
Pierre Sala's Little Book of Love
Paris (France) — Between 1500 and 1519

Pierre Sala's Little Book of Love
Paris (France) — Between 1500 and 1519
Pierre Sala (1457–1529) wrote these deeply personal poems about love and dedicated it to Marguerite Bullioud
The entire manuscript bespeaks a personal esteem for the woman he was wooing and would later marry
Aside from love, the rich mix of text and imagery debates wisdom, foolishness, grace, and success

Pierre Sala's Little Book of Love
Author Portrait
Born in Lyon, Pierre Sala (1457-1529) was a French poet and humanist active at the courts of Kings Charles VII, Louis XII, and Francis I and his portrait shows him dressed in Renaissance fashion. Sala has the forlorn look of a young man in love: flowing golden locks hang down from his black cap and frame a fair face with grey eyes, a straight nose, full lower lip. The shading of his stubble is very subtly and naturally executed, as are the ruffles of his shirt.
Pierre Sala's Little Book of Love
- Pierre Salas "Le Petit Livre d'Amour"
- Pierre Sala - Kleines Buch der Liebe
Short Description
The Little Book of Love by Pierre Sala captivates with its extremely personal content, which mainly deals with the topic of love. The he composed the French verses as well as a long dedication in prose for the woman who would eventually be his wife. The small book is illustrated with fine and brightly colored miniatures and seizes upon the topic of love. With the grand, gold-painted pages, this book is an impressive example of the private book art of the Renaissance.
Pierre Sala’s Little Book of Love
Pierre Sala’s Petit libre d’amour is an intimate and very personal manuscript whose primary theme is love. The Lyonnais poet Pierre Sala created the small book for his later wife, with whom he was attempting to gain favor. The texts were richly illustrated with miniatures and the entire Little Book of Love bespeaks a personal esteem, which is embodied in the artistic furnishings of the work.
A Small Book as Proof of Love
The image of the author throwing his red heart into the blossom of a chrysanthemum makes the purpose of the small book abundantly clear. With the Little Book of Love, Pierre Sala wooed Marguerite Bullioud, who finally became his wife in 1519. The name of his dearly beloved is symbolized by a flower. In fine miniatures, courtly ladies are shown playing with floating hearts, along with other scenes that handle the topic of love. Oftentimes one can recognize consciously satirical coloring in the work. Such a thematic device is not unordinary for the 15th and 16th Centuries, but unfortunately only a few have survived to today. The Illustrator of the book is the so called “Master of Scandalous Gossip”, who active in Paris ca. 1500. 12 miniatures altogether are surrounded by a fine, golden frame, which are decorated with tassels in the corners. Every page of the manuscript has been dyed purple, which are decorated with fine, golden ornament in the open areas. In light, bright colors along with fine brushing, the lovely and detail rich scenes are painted onto the purple parchment. When opened, they find themselves on the right side of the book, next to the corresponding text on the left side.
Galant Verses of a Great Writer
The author of these verses is the French poet and humanist, Pierre Sala (1457–1529), who was born in Lyon, and active at the courts of Kings Charles VII, Louis XII, and Francis I. In gallant rhetoric, he composed the text for the Little Book of Love with verse as well as prose, which not only deals with the topic of love, but also concerns itself with moral questions of wisdom and success. The book is mainly written in French, but also contains an Italian poem. At the beginning of the book stands an 8 page dedication to his intended, Marguerite. In a unity of text and image, the topic of love is deliberated, along with the stories debating over wisdom, foolishness, grace, and success. This connection of the art of poetry with fine and costly manuscript art makes the Little Book of Love an extraordinary example of private book art of the Renaissance.
Codicology
- Alternative Titles
- Pierre Salas "Le Petit Livre d'Amour"
Pierre Sala - Kleines Buch der Liebe - Size / Format
- 40 pages / 13.0 × 10.0 cm
- Origin
- Paris (France)
- Date
- Between 1500 and 1519
- Epochs
- Style
- Genre
- Language
- Illustrations
- 12 miniatures and 17 pages including a transcription of the texts by a French hand of the 18th century
- Artist / School
- Master of the "Chronique Scandaleuse"

Pierre Sala's Little Book of Love
Women Playing with Floating Hearts
Set in a splendid gold frame that contrasts beautifully with the purple parchment, this miniature of hearts with fluttering golden wings and two richly dressed noble ladies is an allegory for chivalric romance. Traditionally, a knight would perform acts of bravery to win the heart of a lady, but as a poet, Pierre Sala created this text for the purpose of wooing the woman that he would eventually marry.
Chivalric romance flipped the conventions of medieval society on their head: ladies were the ones who held the power and it was the gentleman who had to present themselves as supplicants continuously striving for the approval of their beloved. As a result, the heart of even the most powerful knight could become the plaything of the fairer sex.
2 available facsimile edition(s) of „Pierre Sala's Little Book of Love“
Pierre Sala's Kleines Buch der Liebe (Standard Edition)
- Publisher
- Faksimile Verlag – Lucerne, 1994
- Limited Edition
- 690 copies (Standard Edition)
- Binding
- The volume is gilt-edged on three sides and bound in brown velvet. The Standard Edition comes in a decorative book case.
- Commentary
-
1 volume (399 pages) by Janet Backhouse and Yves Giraud
Languages: English, French, German - More Information
- Reproduction of the entire original document as detailed as possible (scope, format, colors). The binding may not correspond to the original or current document binding.
Pierre Sala's Kleines Buch der Liebe (De Luxe Edition)
- Publisher
- Faksimile Verlag – Lucerne, 1994
- Limited Edition
- 290 copies (De Luxe Edition)
- Binding
- The volume is gilt-edged on three sides and bound in brown velvet. The de luxe edition includes an exclusive gold-tooled leather slip case.
- Commentary
-
1 volume (399 pages) by Janet Backhouse and Yves Giraud
Languages: English, German, French - More Information
- Reproduction of the entire original document as detailed as possible (scope, format, colors). The binding may not correspond to the original or current document binding.
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