[MR] TI Cover Answer FW: 3 living / 3 dead (amended)

[Jim]

 For those that had questions here is the response from the TI editor and
the artist. 

Chimbai

-----Original Message-----
Chimbai—

 

Could you forward this to the list where the question first appeared?  Also,
please copy me on or forward responses to me.  I’ll send them on to the
artist.

 

Omar

Editor, TI

 

  

Greetings, Donal Mac Ruiseart (& others interested in 'what's behind' the
latest Tournaments Illuminated cover)

There is, indeed, a literary & legendary reference. "The Legend of the Three
Living and the Three Dead" is a memento mori dating back to around the 13th
Century. It was primarily an iconographic image - gaining widespread
popularity around (& slightly before) the time of "The Danse Macabre".
Unlike its more famous cousin it has passed out of the general usage ...

"The Legend" consists of a dialogue between three living men and three
corpses. The living were usually depicted as nobles (sometimes kings-
although there are a few where one of the living is portrayed as a woman).
The dead were sometimes also 'crowned' but not always (and, in some versions
ecclesiastics). The dialogue is the old standard, "Ooo- you think you are so
great, important, rich, & attractive... well, take a look at me- I was the
same as you now I'm a rotting corpse - it'll happen to you, too, big shot."
With the (usually implied) - "but you are still alive and have the chance to
repent and lead a virtuous life." In some versions the dead are mute and a
monk is added to admonish the living. In later examples, the dead seem to
give up completely the idea of communicating via words and simply attack the
living as they ride by.

Now, to my version... 

-"The cadaverous figures" are the above mentioned 'dead'

- The others are, of course 'the living'. I have chosen to give them a
little more personality than they were usually given in the wall paintings.
The older man (red hat, goatee) is the most frightened at the concept- being
(at least in his mind) the closest to death (and thus the one with the least
time to act upon the message). The fellow in the blue & green is off-put by
the appearance of the corpses and is at an age where he's not completely
sure he wants to be bothered by heeding anything they have to tell him. The
kneeling figure realizes that, as a fighting man, he _is_ actually close to
death frequently & seems to be the only one of the three who is taking any
of it to heart. 

As this is the fall/end of year issue, I thought it was a good time to
reflect (no matter what one's personal beliefs) on the end of one thing, the
beginning of another... having one's life in some sort of order... the usual
year-end stuff... 

Hope this clarifies (at least a bit)
Sean P Clancy 

note- I've known the basics of this tale for _years_ (due to a long  time
interest in the Black Death)... there are several web-references about it
(several with pictures) my favorite being
http://www.paintedchurch.org/ldintro.htm

 

Also check

 

<http://www.christusrex.org/www2/berry/f86v.htm>
http://www.christusrex.org/www2/berry/f86v.html   (Les Très Riches Heures du
Duc de Berry)

 

http://quartet.cs.unb.ca/tapor/cgi-bin/view-works.cgi?c=audelayj.1620&pos=1
(De tribus regibus mortuis)

 

http://www.moleiro.com/miniatura.v.php?p=739/en  (female 'living'... &
mention of hermits)

 

http://www.lamortdanslart.com/3m3v/legend.htm (I'm particularly fond of the
Überlingen <http://www.lamortdanslart.com/3m3v/3m3v_uberlingen.jpg>  & the
Bregninge)

 

http://www.imagesonline.bl.uk/britishlibrary/controller/subjectidsearch?id=8
127&&idx=1&startid=2146

 

http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/summary_0199-1514643_ITM

 

http://fll.smu.edu/latin/advent2000/bridwell/bridwell4.html

 

http://www.deardeath.com/the_three_living_and_the_three.htm