THE SAINTS

AND MARTYRS

of Christ, most skillfully rendered Images. original: "Sanctorum, et Martyrum Christi Icones artificiosissimae"

Of the Saints and Martyrs

of God, artistic Likenesses. original: "Der Heiligen vnnd Märtrer Gottes künstliche Bildnuſſen"

The illustration below depicts a scene of martyrdom. The presence of a bishop's mitre and staff (crozier) on the ground suggests the victim is a high-ranking church official, possibly being executed via a mechanical torture device involving weighted rollers or a press. The turbans worn by some onlookers suggest the setting might be intended as the Ottoman Empire or the "East," a common trope in Reformation-era martyrologies to signify a "foreign" or "infidel" threat.