3-042-732 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Heinrich Sleeping and Saint Hedwig Praying: Heinrich and Saint Hedwig with Their Children; Vita beatae Hedwigis, 1353. Additional Info: The images on this page and its facing counterpart present Hedwig as a dutiful daughter, wife, and mother who was also devoted to a life of intense prayer and chastity. On the opposite page, Hedwig appears first with her parents and siblings and then as a bride. On the folio shown here, Hedwig prays at night while her husband, Duke Heinrich, sleeps. The scene would have reminded viewers that the couple took a vow of celibacy after their marriage and the birth of six children. Below this scene, Hedwig and Heinrich sit on a raised platform, surrounded by their children. As head of the family, Hedwig's husband gazes out toward the viewer, while his wife and children all dutifully look toward him.