Ronsard, the best known poet of the French Renaissance, was one of Matisse’s favorite writers. The painter was deeply inspired by his sonnets of courtly love, the verdant images in his poetry, and the rich metaphors of myth and nature by which he described love and the female figure. Matisse created his own playful images of pastoral nature and the female for Ronsard’s text. These illustrations and their lively placement on the pages complement the grace and charm of Ronsard’s poetry.