Speculum Virginum
ca. 1430, manuscript from Frenswegen Monastery
The Speculum Virginum belongs to manuscripts called “Tugendspiegel” or Mirrors of Virtue, which were widely distributed during the Middle Ages. They are written as a dialogue between two people, an “Archpriest” and a nun named Theodora, and show the reader how to live a life dedicated to God. This guide on leading a pious and godly life was an expression of the monastic reform movement, the „Devotio Moderna,“ which took place in the late Middle Ages. How to live a virtuous life is presented in a series of watercolor illustrations. The page shown here tells the parable of the clever and the foolish virgins.
