Ergot

Yet another irreverent sketch after a classic masterpiece. It's the Isenheimer Altar by Matthias Gruenewald this time. What interests me about it at this point, is the ominous black bird in the left corner. The altar is connected with sufferers of Saint Anhony's fire, or ergotism. It's caused by eating tainted bread, but was thought to be the devil's work, or so we are told as everything was seen in a religious light in the Middle Ages, yadda yadda. Well, maybe. I think people were closer to nature than we are. The black bird seems to be carrying a piece of rye bread in its beak, which would point to suspicions about the cause of ergotism. But that is what i am still trying to find out...