There is a nice example of Hell Mouth, not as the orifice INTO which sinners
are thrown but FROM which sinners are being rescued in the Harrowing of Hell
full page illumination in the 12th c Hildesheim Psalter. (A most wonderful
book made in the scriptorium of St Albans Abbey, given to St Christina of
Markyate during her lifetime, returned to St A after her death until the
Reformation and then mysteriously resurfacing in Lambspringe in Germany
where
many exiled Benedictines had taken refuge. Currently in the care of St
Gothard's Basilica, Hildesheim,) The H of H illumination - complete with
Hell Mouth full of fiery tusks - was used to illustrate the front cover of
the paperback Everyman edition of "Everyman and Medieval Miracle Plays."
(Dent 1974 ISBN 0-460-11381-x)
BMC
----- Original Message -----
From: "ctault" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, December 25, 2000 9:53 PM
Subject: The "Hell Mouth" in medieval art & architecture.
> Dear All,
> I think I may have posted this query a long time ago, so please excuse me
if I
> repeat myself. I am interested in finding as many examples of the
medieval
> hell mouth as I can.
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