The image of the pelican in Christian art, sometimes called “Pelican in Its Piety,” appears everywhere in the late Middle Ages — in paintings, icons, drawings, misericords, altar cloths, and stained glass.17 The image is based on a legend of the pelican sacrificing itself for the sake of its children. It’s a legend that predates Christianity, but early Christian writers linked the story of the pelican to the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and his continued nourishment of his “little ones.” The image of the bird plucking its breast and spilling blood for its young reminded Christians visually
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