Label
(from 2014.Old Walks and New)
Malcolm Osborne, British, 1880-1963
The Bird of Bourges, 1932, etching
This image depicts a bell tower on the Gothic Cathedral of Bourges, France. On top of the bell stands a pelican biting its own breast. According to Medieval legend, the pelican revives its dead babies by bleeding on them. It thus represents Christ’s crucifixion, a sacrifice that brings the promise of eternal life.