In medieval Europe, young lovers used all manner of media to declare their passion for one another – from exquisite French songbooks to lowly pieces of cattle bone. With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, Kimberley-Joy Knight introduces seven tokens of love from the Middle Ages
The secret admirer
“Kiss me” is the playful exhortation on this piece of cattle bone from medieval Scandinavia
This seemingly insignificant scrap of cattle bone has been inscribed with runes, a letterform used in Scandinavia during the Middle Ages. It was found during an archaeological dig in Oslo, and reads “kiss me”. Small pieces of bone or wood could easily be carved using a knife and delivered covertly, making them the ideal medium for secret love messages or the communication of deepest desires.
We cannot be sure of the situations in which these types of objects were given and received, but it seems likely that this object would have prompted a response from the subject of the rune-carver’s affections.
Crowning glory
Two lovers take centre stage on an ivory comb
This Parisian ivory comb, crafted in c1320, is a perfectly preserved celebration of the ritual of aristocratic courtship in the Middle Ages. The smooth, pure white surface of the ivory was valued for its beauty and was often likened to the skin of an idealised woman.
The comb is decorated with three scenes of lovers in a garden. The blossoming of new love is demonstrated by the gestures and postures of the figures, but it was the act of using this object to comb the hair that was considered the most seductive. The process of beautification only occurred in private moments, and the sexually charged performance of the comb caressing the long hair of a maiden was often described in Arthurian romances featuring Gawain, Lancelot and Guinevere.
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