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Worksop Bestiary
England, possibly in Lincoln or York
ca. 1185
215 x 155 mm
Purchased by J. Pierpont Morgan (1837–1913) in 1902
MS M.81, fols. 62v–63r
Description:
Phoenix
The legendary phoenix’s cycle of death and rebirth symbolizes Christ in the bestiary: on the left, the aged bird gathers sweet-smelling spices to line its funeral pyre; on the right, it rises from the flames.