3-041-228 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

The Putrefaction of the Flesh of the Dying Emperor Galerius; Des cas des nobles hommes et femmes, about 1413-1415. Additional Info: Two servants of the Roman emperor Galerius cover their mouths from the stench of his rotting flesh. The emperor lies on his deathbed, suffering from a horrendous malady that reportedly caused his entrails to decay inside his body and worms to come out of his mouth, ears, and nose. For people in the Middle Ages, illness was often seen as the result of sin, and Galerius's sickness was interpreted as his punishment for persecuting Christians. According to Boccaccio, Galerius was not punished by Jupiter, whom he falsely honored and disloyally served in Rome, but rather by Jesus, the celestial king born of a virgin, who is Lord of heaven and earth