Daniel Eschews the King's Food
1393
Ink on paper
Basel, Universitätsbibliothek, MS. A II 5, 69v
The page illustrates Daniel 1:1-16. Although among the Jewish youths ordered to eat food from the King's table for three years, Daniel and three of his companions persuade the head eunuch to feed them separately on water and legumes. When the three years are up, they look just as well-fed as those who had been eating the King's food.
In this image the artist emphasizes the difference between the rich food at the main table and that of the four observant youths. Instead of a large ewer for the wine mentioned in the text they have a small jug of water; instead of the variety of items on the other youths' table, they have small triangles, as if the legumes had been baked into a pie shape and cut like a pizza.
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Source: e-Codices – Virtual Manuscript Library of Switzerland