THE HOLY

AND THE MARTYRS

Most artistic images of Christ’s followers. original: "Icones artificiosissimæ"; the Latin title emphasizes the high level of craftsmanship in the woodcut illustrations.

The Saints and Martyrs

Artistic images of God’s servants. original: "künstliche Bildnuſſen"; the German title mirrors the Latin, identifying the subjects as those who suffered for their faith.

A detailed 16th-century woodcut depicting a martyrdom scene. A saint (likely St. Erasmus) lies on the ground while his entrails are being extracted and wound onto a large wooden windlass or winch by two executioners. Several onlookers in period costume, including soldiers with polearms, observe the scene. In the foreground to the right, a bishop's mitre and a crozier lie discarded on the ground.