Saint Vitus, anonymous, c. 1500
polychromy, h c.58cm More details
Vitus was a 4th-century Sicilian boy who endured barbaric forms of torture after his conversion to Christianity. The cruellest of these was to be boiled, aged twelve, in a cauldron of oil, resin and pitch. Miraculously, he survived, thanks to his unwavering faith. Depicting Vitus in a cauldron was very popular during the Middle Ages, especially in southern Germany.
