Une lecture profane de l’Ovide moralisé Le manuscrit BnF français 137 : une mythologie illustrée

Manuscript BnF fr. 137, ­commissioned by Louis de Bruges before 1480, provides a lay interpretation of the prose version of Ovide moralisé. Following the narrative of the text in verse, it edits out the allegorical ­commentaries. Illustrations, as the text itself, transform the Ovide moralisé into a collection of fables. Metamorphoses, pagan gods, erotism and violence play a significant role therein. In this illustrated mythology, very few elements of the Christian interpretation of Ovid remain.