Allegory of Death This miniature marks the beginning of the Office of the Dead. Though these prayers were to be said for the dead to speed their way to heaven, it was also a reminder for the devotee of his or her own mortality. This scene depicts Death, represented as a corpse, about to strike an emperor and a pope, a reminder that no one, no matter how powerful he or she is, escapes death. This image shows the reverse of a leaf with a miniature from a book of hours. Script: Bastarda
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