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Helsinus Preaching in Favour of the Celebration of the Conception and The Canon restored to Life by the Virgin

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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These two scenes continue the stories on the previous panel, Helsinus saved from a Shipwreck and (below) A French Canon drowned by Devils. They come from a twelfth-century text written by English monk Eadmer, an early supporter of the idea that the Virgin was conceived without sin. The top portion shows an English abbot called Helsinus preaching the celebration of the feast of the Virgin’s conception to a crowd gathered below his pulpit. The scene takes place outdoors, outside a church in the countryside. The fortress nestled in the hills beyond may be a visual shorthand for a small town. The scene below shows a French canon being brought back to life, after he had been attacked and killed by devils. At the Virgin’s command, two angels place a baby into his mouth – this represents the canon’s soul, which the devils had taken.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

Helsinus Preaching in Favour of the Celebration of the Conception and The Canon restored to Life by the Virgin

Date

1375-1400

Medium

Tempera on wood

Measurements

H 63.8 x W 26.9 cm

Accession number

NG4250.5

Acquisition method

Bequeathed by H.E. Luxmoore, 1927

Work type

Painting

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Normally on display at

The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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