centuriespast:Vrancke van der StocktFlemish, before 1420 - c. 6/14/1495St. Margaret with a DonorThis
centuriespast:Vrancke van der StocktFlemish, before 1420 - c. 6/14/1495St. Margaret with a DonorThis painting, which shows a woman in contemporary dress kneeling in devotion before an open prayer book, her patron saint behind her, was once the right wing of a small triptych, or three-part altarpiece. Saint Margaret, who is recognizable through her attributes, or identifying symbols, holds a cross; a fanged dragon is at her feet. According to the story, Margaret spent her life following the teachings of Christ. The governor of Antioch in the ancient Roman province of Syria, now modern Turkey, fell in love with Margaret’s beauty and asked her to marry him. She rejected his proposal, vowing to remain a virgin. The governor sent her to prison, where the Devil appeared to Margaret as a dragon. She was saved by her Christian faith: when the dragon swallowed Margaret, she made the sign of the cross, which split the dragon in two and allowed her to escape from his belly unharmed. [Gallery label text] Memorial Art Gallery -- source link