One leg in the grave revisited

About this book

The Miracle of the Transplantation of the Black Leg, a posthumous miracle performed by the saints Cosmas and Damian, is best known from the Golden Legend of Jacobus the Voragine (1265). From the early Middle Ages on, artists have been particularly inspired by De Voragine's description of this miracle. Their works can be found in churches, monasteries, and musea, mainly in Italy, Spain, and Southern France. These artful representations have fascinated Kees Zimmerman, retired trauma surgeon, inspiring him to travel through Southern Europe exploring them. In this way he has gathered an impressive collection of photographs of paintings, sculptures, and other art and religious objects. This book offers over 80 reproductions of representations of the Miracle of the Black Leg, quite a number of which have never been published before. Articles by art historians (De Jong, Fracchia), medievalists (Santing), and an Introduction by Zimmerman himself, shed light on different aspects of the legend.