Titus’ Conquest of Jerusalem

The besieging and conquest of Jerusalem by Titus in 70 AD is reproduced in detail in a style that hearkens to the late-medieval miniature painting art. From left to right one sees the advancing cavalry, the crucifixion of prisoners, the besieging of the walls, the violence of war within the walls and the atrocities committed against the citizens. The representation suggests the besieging of Ghent by the Hapsburg Emperor Frederik III and his son Maximilian of Austria. The coats of arms on the tents and on the vandals, however, show affinity with the German-Austrian alliance that besieged the city of Ghent in 1488. The elongated panel is called a predella. The Italian term designates the lowermost portion of a tableau. This portion usual remains visible, also when the multi-panel is closed. The predella that one sees here comes from the Vigilius chapel in the crypt of Saint Bavo Cathedral in Ghent. The predella is attributed to the Vienna Master of Mary of Burgundy, who was residing in Ghent at the end of the 15th Century. The tableau from which it makes up a part, is lost.