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The Torment of Unchaste Monks and Nuns

Simon Marmion1475

The J. Paul Getty Museum

The J. Paul Getty Museum
Los Angeles, United States

The angel points out to Tondal's soul the beast that tortures unchaste priests and nuns. After the beast devours the souls, he excretes them, dropping them onto a frozen pond. Once on the ice, the souls regain their bodily forms but now both women and men are made pregnant. As multiple creatures grow inside them, they eat the sinners' entrails. The sinners eventually give birth to hideous serpents, which emerge from all parts of their bodies. This torment is reserved not only for nuns and priests but for all men and women who are guilty of the sin of lust. As punishment for his lustful life, Tondal's soul goes through one cycle of this torment before the angel rescues him and they continue their journey.

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  • Title: The Torment of Unchaste Monks and Nuns
  • Creator: Simon Marmion
  • Date Created: 1475
  • Location Created: Ghent, Belgium; Valenciennes, France
  • Physical Dimensions: Leaf: 36.3 × 26.2 cm (14 5/16 × 10 5/16 in.)
  • Type: Folio
  • External Link: Find out more about this object on the Museum website.
  • Medium: Tempera colors, gold leaf, gold paint, and ink on parchment
  • Terms of Use: Open Content
  • Number: 87.MN.141.24.24v
  • Culture: Franco-Flemish
  • Credit Line: The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, Ms. 30, fol. 24v
  • Creator Display Name: Simon Marmion (Flemish, active 1450 - 1489)
  • Classification: Manuscripts (Documents)
The J. Paul Getty Museum

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