The Jew and St. Nicholas' Statue

Cathedral of Troyes, 1170-85
Stained glass
Musée National de l'Age Médiévale, Paris

This illustrates the miracle of the Jew and the thieves from the Golden Legend. Angry that the icon of St. Nicholas has not prevented his home from being robbed, the Jew takes it down and beats it mercilessly. Nicholas then appears to the robbers and prevails on them to return the Jew's goods.

In the image Nicholas wears a mitre shaped in the fashion of the day. He is enthroned but does not seem to be holding a crozier. The Jew's portrait, sadly, has the stereotypical long nose and thick lips. His skin is noticeably darker than the face of the saint in the icon.

Read more about images of Saint Nicholas.

Photographed at the museum by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.