St. Thomas
ca. 1440
The Netherlands, Utrecht
MS M.917/945, pp. 220–221
Purchased on the Belle da Costa Greene Fund with the assistance of the Fellows, 1963
Catalog link
Thomas clasps the lance by which he met his demise and a girdle book is at his waist. His hood is up, which, along with the book and the female pilgrim in the lower border, suggests his far-flung travels. As the only apostle to go beyond the bounds of the Roman Empire, Thomas died at the sharp end of a spear in India, near modern-day Chennai. The woman in the lower border totes two rectangular packs fastened over her shoulders and wears a cylindrical cap, covered in writing, that may list her sins.