3-042-757 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

The Sick, the Leprous, and the Lame Praying at Saint Hedwig's Tomb: People Coming to Visit Saint Hedwig's Tomb; Vita beatae Hedwigis, 1353. Additional Info: This miniature represents the shrine of Saint Hedwig, which was the site of the saint's posthumous miracles. Before her tomb kneel three ailing figures who represent the "infirm, crippled, and lame" described in the inscription at the top of the page. On the wall behind her tomb, crutches hang as ex-votos, testaments to miraculous cures. At the bottom of the page, the artist depicted pilgrims who came from afar, seeking the saint's miraculous intervention. Two figures walk with staffs, medieval symbols of pilgrimage, in front of a cart crowded with the devout. Behind and above the cart, three figures traverse a rocky stretch of terrain. The artist combined the use of colored washes and tempera colors, capturing a quick, spontaneous feel with his lively pen work but including carefully observed naturalistic details such as the texture of the cart's siding.