Our ancestors were weirdos

Posted by William M. Connolley on November 5, 2007
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And we’re not much better. Some photographic souvenirs of a recent trip to Bruxelles.

From the cathedral of St Michael and St Gudula. A hard-to-believe statue. It looks less rude from other angles. This one shows *two* enormous organs.

Musee des beaux arts. The woman is holding a bar of glowing hot iron; hence the little tray of charcoal in the foreground. Notice the burning witch in the background. See also this charming mural from Bayeaux featuring some hand-chopping legend of which I know nothing.

Did you know that if you type “justice de otton” into google, at the moment my flickr page comes out #1, and this rather more useful one is #2. How odd.

Bruxelles Midi. I don’t suppose I have to demonstrate that we are weirdos, but this should do it.

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Comments

  1. #1 Bananus
    2007/11/06

    Belgium…

  2. #2 bigcitylib
    2007/11/06

    Presumably the guy in the statue was King, right? (And: are they weirdos or are you envious?)

    [He is (obviously) a Saint. Quite possibly Andrew. *They* aren't weirdos - its the people who made the pix who are weird -W]

  3. #3 guthrie
    2007/11/09

    THe second one down look slike some perfectly normal 1470′s paintings, presumably with a biblical or other message. Can you tell us more? They don’t look like an altar piece anyway.

    The red hot iron will be for some kind of trial by ordeal, but as to why someone in his shirt has been beheaded on the other panel I do not know. In fact it may well be a heretic they are burning int he background. Witches were usually strangled.