JF Ptak Science Books    Post 403

Pictured here is Jean de Liekerke & Wife (“Jean de Liekerke et de sa Femme”), the largest element of a “dalle tumulaire”, or decorated burial slab, for the couple’s tomb, found in Brugge’s oldest church, the Cathedrale de St. Sauveur (built 12th-15th centuries).  It is a glorious chromolithograph, printed ca. 1858 or so, and is extremely detailed and complex.  I cannot unearth who the couple was, their names appearing three times in the image’s margins, twice spelled differently and partially abbreviated (“jeha de Likerke”).  Most of the print’s elements, as well as its subject, are not known to me, sorry to say:  I just stopped by to point out my completely not-understood vision of the noble Sir Jean/Jehan pictured standing on top of a greyhound.  The dog wears a large collar and also, perhaps, pants of some sort made of maille.  Generally the appearance of the dog in paintings from this era of the low renaissance signify fidelity; again, with most of the elements of this image, I do not know what the significance is of the heavily armored man standing on this small dog.