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This manuscript contains the Trionfi (Triumphs) and the Canzoniera (Songs) of Petrarch (1304-1374), who was famous even within his own lifetime, continued to enjoy great popularity throughout the 15th century, particularly in France, where the Italian poet had lived for some time at the papal court at Avignon. The Triumphs is an allegorical didactic poem about the soul of the poet and the history of mankind. The Book of Songs sings of the author's unrequited love for a lady named Laura.
On folio 11v, the winged god of love, Cupid, who is shown as a mischievous putto on the point of firing his love-inducing arrow, hovers like a fountain statue over a triumphal carriage drawn by white horses. Alongside the carriage walk the men and women who have succumbed to the power of Cupid - a power often associated with women's powers of seduction.
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