Two Lepers in front of a City Gate

The illustration represents the ambiguity to this day of the medieval image of leprosy and its historical interpretation: The iconography reveals how a leper, identified by his costume and rattle, and a cripple are denied entrance at the city gate. The text indicates that the illustration belongs to the story of the king's son Josaphat (Bodhisattva) of India. After it is foretold that Josaphat will convert to Christianity, his father imprisons him. He then learns about the nature of man and the Christian faith through his encounters with a leper and a blind man.

Two Lepers in front of a City Gate, illumination, 1300–1400, unknown artist, in: Beauvais, Vincent de: Miroir historial, traduction en français par Jean de Vignay, Livres IX–XVI, 1300–1400; source: Bnf Gallica, http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b7100627v/f751.item, public domain.