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Notes
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This painting, once part of the predella, or sequence of images, on the base of a large altarpiece is designed as a narrative, to be read like a cartoon strip. The scene is the interior of a typical fifteenth-century church. The congregation to the left is looking on in horror at the scene unfolding to the right of the composition. A young Carmelite monk has been struck dead at the altar. His cloak has turned black and a devil is snatching his soul from his mouth. The clue to this awful event is the bleeding bread held by the Priest. It was taught by the Church that a person accepting the communion bread and wine during Mass must believe that they had been transformed during the ceremony into the body and blood of Christ. If not, they would die and the bleeding bread was further proof of God’s displeasure.
Title
The Miracle of the Holy Sacrament
Date
c.1423–1426
Medium
tempera & gold on panel
Measurements
H 26.7 x W 40.6 cm
Accession number
B.M.52
Acquisition method
bequeathed by the Founders, 1885
Work type
Painting
The Bowes Museum
Barnard Castle, County Durham DL12 8NP England
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