Month: June 2019

Illumination from the manuscript "La Fleur des Histoires de Jean Mansel", ms. 5087 réserve, f. 433v, 1454, Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal, Paris.

This week’s Women’s Wednesday is dedicated to Nicaula, better known as the Queen of Sheba - the ancient kingdom located in modern-day Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Yemen. Found in several writings under different appellatives, including Maqueda and Bilquis,…

Illumination from the "Hours of St. Denis", ms. Christ Church MS 93, f. 80r, 1484-1501, Christ Church, Oxford.

Once again following Aeneas' travels, this week we head over to Africa and, more precisely, to the legendary city of Carthage: our protagonist this time is in fact Queen Dido (also known as Elissa), regarded…

Our journey at the discovery of the women of the Aeneid continues with Lavinia: daughter of Latinus and Amata, she was the last wife of Aeneas. Lavinia spent most of her life being courted by…

Illumination from a Book of Hours, use of Cambrai, ms. 1185 réserve, f. 59r, 15th century, Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal, Paris.

Continuing with the women from Homer's epics, this week's Mulier Clara is no one but Penelope: Odysseus' wife, Queen of Ithaca, and cousin of Helen of Troy. Penelope is most famous for her fidelity to her husband during…

Did you know that even cheeses have birthdays? Well, at least that is the case for Roquefort, the famous French cheese that is officially turning 608 years old today! On June 4, 1411, King Charles…