not only a physical description but also an account of its special properties. Of the
sapphire, for example, we are told that it is blue, that it is very precious, and that the best
specimens come from Africa; it protects those who carry it from bodily harm or
imprisonment, it can cure various ailments, and it is much used by necromancers. The
magical and curative properties of stones are an important aspect of lapidary tradition,
which teaches that God placed special powers in words, herbs, and stones.
The Marbode tradition is also represented, though less directly, in a prose lapidary of
the mid-14th century, falsely attributed to Jean de Mandeville. This text is the only
medieval French lapidary to be printed in the 15th and 16th centuries. Lapidary material
additionally appears in encyclopedias, such as Jean Corbechon’s Livre des propriétés des
choses (1372), a translation of the De proprietatibus rerum of Barthélémy l’Anglais.
The allegorical lapidaries represent a different tradition. Though sometimes drawing
on the Marbode tradition, they also rely on biblical exegesis and patristic writings.
Lapidaries of this type are limited to stones mentioned in the Bible or in the writings of
the church fathers. A common pattern is to focus on the twelve stones figuring in the
breastplate of Aaron (Exodus 28:17–20). The stones and precious materials appearing in
the walls of the Heavenly Jerusalem (Revelation 21:18–21) are another important source.
The earliest French allegorical lapidary is a verse text of the early 13th century. A prose
version dating from the 14th century is dedicated to an unspecified King Philip, probably
Philip VI.
The allegorical lapidaries describe the appearance and properties of stones but add to
that an explanation of each stone’s religious significance. Topaz, for example, is said to
be yellow, to come from Arabia and the Orient, and to change its appearance according to
the phases of the moon; it cures various ailments and protects the chastity of those who
carry it. In addition, we learn that it signifies the ninth order of angels and the celestial
kingdom; kings should gaze upon it in order to remind themselves that spiritual glory far
outweighs the honor and glory of this world.
Lapidary lore also appears in literary texts. The most celebrated stones in medieval
French literature are the crystals in Guillaume de Lorris’s Roman de la Rose; the same
text also describes the powers of precious stones worn by Richesse, the personification of
wealth. In Nicole de Margival’s Dit de la panthère d’amours, the presentation of a gold
ring set with an emerald occasions a description of the properties of gold, emerald, and
diamond, which become allegories for aspects of the love relationship. Thus, while no
“lapidary of love” exists as counterpart to Richard de Fournival’s bestiary of love,
lapidary material does appear in the love poetry of the French Middle Ages.
Sylvia Huot
[See also: BESTIARY; MANDEVILLE, JEAN DE; MARBODE OF RENNES;
OUTREMEUSE, JEAN D’; RICHARD DE FOURNIVAL]
Meyer, Paul. “Les plus anciens lapidaires français.” Romania 33 (1909):44–70, 254–85, 481–552.
Pannier, Léopold. Les lapidaires français du moyen âge des XIIe, XIIIe, et XIVe siècles. Paris:
Vieweg, 1882.
Studer, Paul, and Joan Evans. Anglo-Norman Lapidaries. Paris: Champion, 1924.
The Encyclopedia 991