Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 9.djvu/295

 ON THE BKONZE DOORS OF THE CATHEDRAL OF GNESEN. 225 tlic trees arc represented in a rather ininatnral and conven- tional manner. In the sixteenth panel the pnrchase of the bod}' from the Prussians is shown. In the centre is the Duke of Poland (Bolcslaus Chrobry), wearing an open crown ; both tunic and mantle arc short. Behind him are three of his courtiers, in tunics girt round the middle, and wearing short cloaks joined by a fibula : the heads seem to be covered by close skull-caps. One other figure holds a sword, but has no cloak. Near the duke is a large vessel filled with round masses, some of which an attendant puts into one of a pair of scales, which is held by a Prussian. The body of the saint is, however, not in the other scale. Behind the holder of the scales is a group of seven Prussians, with shields, but no weapons are visible. The seventeenth panel shows the conveyance of the holy remains to Gnesen ; two priests carry a feretory, from which a cloth depends ; underneath it, and kneeling on the ground, are two small figures (jDrobably the sick or cripples). At one end of the feretory stands a bishop, holding a book in his left hand, and an aspersorium in his right ; behind him is an attendant. At the other end are two crowned figures ; one (probably the duchess) raises a hand to her eyes. The other wears a long mantle and a robe terminated by an indented edge which reaches about half way below the knee. The eighteenth panel represents the deposition of the saint in his tomb at Gnesen. A figure at the head, and another at the foot, are placing the body (the face of which is exposed, and the head covered by a mitre) in a low tomb (such as were in use in the 12tli and 13th centuries) : behind the tomb stands a woman raising a hand to her eyes ; near her stands a man, clad in a long robe girt round the waist, and a cloak joined in front, and holding a vessel, like a small pail, or a basket. At the foot of the tomb is an arch, between two small towers ; under this stands a bearded figure, with a thurible. At the head is a bishop with a crozier, and behind him a crowned figure holding a sceptre ; one end of the mantle is thrown over the right arm, and two robes of different lengths are seen, the longer ending "VNitli an indented border just above the feet. It will be observed that many small differences exist between these brazen chronicles (as Count Kaczynski terms