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Gary D. Schmidt, The Iconography of the Mouth of Hell (Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania: Susquehanna University Press; London and Toronto: Associated University Presses, 1995). z34 pp.; illustrations. 29.50.
Hell-mouth, that gaping maw of a beast's head which swallows sinners, is one of the most dramatic images in medieval art. It was an essential part of the Doom wall-painting placed over the chancel arch of many English parish churches and was a spectacular prop in Miracle Plays. Gary D. Schmidt is clearly an enthusiast of the image: he discusses many examples of it in medieval literature and art from English and, to a lesser degree, Continental sources. His book also contains a number of black-and-white illustrations. Unfortunately, Schmidt is more of a collector...