Pisanello, The Vision of St. Eustace
Circa 1440
Tempera on wood, 55 x 65 cm
National Gallery, London
Dressed in the finery to be expected of a 15th-century knight, the 2nd-century soldier encounters a deer with a crucifix between its antlers. This encounter will lead him to Christianity and thence to a martyr's death. The pagan life that Eustace will abandon may be suggested by the hare on the lower right, a conventional symbol of lust – and even, perhaps, by his luxurious clothing and gear.
Read more about St. Eustace.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
