![]() Prayer cycles recorded in such manuscripts include the Office of the Dead, recited to ensure repose for the deceased and shorten their time in purgatory. Lavish depictions of deathbed scenes, funeral rites, and the uncertain fate of departed souls focused attention on the viewer's own mortality and the transience of material wealth. The morbid imagery found in late medieval prayer books sheds light on the intense preoccupation with matters of death. Listen to find out why these corpses are haunting the living. ![]() ![]() The Three Living and the Three Dead, Master of the Dresden Prayer Book or Workshop, in the Crohin-La Fontaine Hours, Bruges, about 1480–85 The image likely served to remind the viewer that Death could arrive at any time and that prayer could prepare one's soul. In Denise Poncher before a Vision of Death, the young owner of the manuscript is shown kneeling with her prayer book before a terrifying spectacle: the walking corpse of Death and three of his victims. This exhibition-which includes not only manuscripts but also printed books, a panel painting, stained glass and other media-explores medieval images that reflect imagined travels to the netherworld and attempts to map what awaited humankind beyond this earthly existence. At the core of visual devotion stood images of the crucified Christ, promising resurrection and eternal salvation. Depictions of souls in paradise, the rewards of the blessed, and God's mercy reassured Christian audiences, while sometimes horrific illustrations of funerals, demons, and the punishment of the wicked prompted the pious to repent for their sins. In the Middle Ages, hope mingled with fear concerning death and the afterlife, providing stirring subjects for manuscript illumination. Hear why Denise Poncher looks so calm in the face of Death. Denise Poncher before a Vision of Death, Master of the Chronique scandaleuse, in the Poncher Hours, French, about 1500
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