Lorenzo Maitani and Workshop, The Cure of the Blind Man? The Raising of Lazarus?

Circa 1310-31
Bas-relief
West façade, Orvieto Cathedral, Italy

Jesus appears to be preparing the lump of clay and spittle mentioned in John's account of the cure of a blind man (9:6) The face of the other figure seems blank, possibly a way of suggesting blindness.

However, his generally decrepit state and the cloths clinging to his body suggest that he may be Lazarus, raised from the dead in John 11:44 – "he that had been dead came forth, bound feet and hands with winding bands; and his face was bound about with a napkin." Our figure's blank face could be a rendering of the "napkin." Also, Jesus' raised hands could refer to his prayer just before he has Lazarus rise from the tomb: "Father, I give thee thanks that thou hast heard me."

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Photographed at the cathedral by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.