Death as a Reaper Of Soulsĭeath on a Pale Horse engraved by Gustave Dore in 1865.

These paintings began to vividly represent realistic imagery of illness and disease, as death became a grim reality. Other common representations of victims included the “death bed” scene, in which a dying person is represented surrounded by loved ones. This attitude is well reflected in works like the Limbourg brothers’ painting, The Procession of Saint Gregory (1300). As more people began to see the plague as some sort of divine punishment of society, the church stressed the importance of religious repentance as the means to combat the epidemic. Religious works also turned to dark depictions of death, focusing on imagery representing the torments of hell.įuneral procession scenes- already very commonly represented in art- were painted showing anonymous plague victims as they were led to the grave. Artists who had formerly painted joyful scenes now turned to images of death, disease, and devastation. The Plague’s effect on medieval society cannot be overstated, and it’s presence and the fear it inspired can be felt through its representation in various aspects of medieval culture. The first wave of the Black Death killed an estimated 25–50 percent of Europe’s population. via Reaching it’s height in Europe in the mid 1300’s, The Black Plague (or the Black Death) was a plague that could be contracted either by a bite from an infected flea or rat, or through diseased air. The Procession of Saint Gregory painted by the Limbourg brothers in 1300.

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