Miniatures sur parchemin (couleur couvrante).

This miniature by Pierart dou Tielt from 1349-1352 is from Antiquitates Flandriae (Tractatis quartus) by Gilles li Muisis, is an example of how the Black Death influenced art during its destruction. This miniature depicts the villagers of Tournai (Belgium) as they conduct a mass burial in a ‘plague pit’ including participants of all ages and genders. Every person is shown to have a role in the burial process, highlighting the artist’s choice of depicting the normality of funerary practices as a result of the mass deaths of the Black Death.

Photographed by Torsion, Jean-Louis, IRPA

Pierart dou Tielt

1353

Miniature on parchment

Public domain

Bilbiothèque Royale de Belgique, ms. 13076-13077