MS M.81, fols. 87v–88r

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Worksop Bestiary

England, possibly in Lincoln or York
ca. 1185
215 x 155 mm

Purchased by J. Pierpont Morgan (1837–1913) in 1902

MS M.81, fols. 87v–88r
Description: 

Molting Serpent
Beginning a long section on the “nature of serpents,” this miniature illustrates how a snake molts: it sloughs off its skin by scraping its body against the walls of a narrow slit in a rock (or, in this case, gate) as Christians are urged to slough off their sinful selves with Christ’s help.