Browse Items (45 total)

Sext: Adoration of the Three Magi. Typically a star guided the Magi to Bethlehem and represents Divine guidance. Melchior, the older of them, with crown removed in reverence towards the Infant, brings Frankincense in a chalice; Balthasar brings…

St. John and Seven-headed Dragon. The evangelist John appears on Patmos with his writing implements and eagle, as usual. What differs in this illumination is the presence of the seven-headed dragon, a memorable figure vividly described in the…

Archangel Michael on Judgment Day. Michael is patron saint of the church militant (the church on earth, in contrast to the church triumphant, the heavenly church). Michael holds the scales that weigh souls on Judgment Day. Dressed in military armor…

St. Jerome and the lion. The translator of the Scriptures into Latin appears here as a hermit. He is usually accompanied by a lion. Jerome befriended the lion by removing a thorn from the lion's paw; thus the lion followed him in servitude and became…

St. Nicholas of Myra (or Bari). The prototype for Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, fulfills many roles: he is patron saint of children, sailors, pawn-brokers, travelers, and many others. In the depiction shown here, Nicholas, in full episcopal vestments (a…

St. George and the dragon. St. George slays the dragon as the princess, daughter to the king of Lybia (various traditions place them in different locales), watches from the distance. The dragon represents evil in general or specifically paganism. The…

Margaret and Apollonia. For instance, St. Margaret, who is depicted with a dragon. When in prison for professing her faith, a dragon devoured her; but at the sign of the cross the dragon split open. From these circumstances, St. Margaret was sought…

Margaret and Apollonia. For instance, St. Margaret, who is depicted with a dragon. When in prison for professing her faith, a dragon devoured her; but at the sign of the cross the dragon split open. From these circumstances, St. Margaret was sought…

O Intemerata. The deposition of Christ from the Cross, with Mary, Mary Magdalene, and John the Disciple. Mary affectionately holds Christ, who displays the evidence of his suffering—the wounds from the crown of thorns, the piercing, and the nails.…

Prime: Nativity. In this depiction of the Nativity, we see Mary and Joseph beholding the infant Christ, upon whom shines the star of Bethlehem; a donkey and a bull participate in the adoration. Shepherds, identified by their characteristic bagpipe…