Original artwork description:

Artwork inspired by Dec. 1, the feast day of St. Eligius, the patron saint of Veterinarians and Farriers, whose legend about how devoted the latter are to him aroused the interest even of Alexandre Dumas, author of "The Three Musketeers": in 1834 he published in Italy "Traveling the Alps", where he described the moment when, coming from Switzerland, he came across a procession, all Italian, of farriers in Domodossola who were celebrating St. Eligius. Legend has it that St. Eligius, before he became a saint, was a very good farrier, but his haughtiness annoyed Jesus who, to teach him a lesson, miraculously reattached the severed leg of a horse. Eligius at first believed he was doing the same but, obviously failing, converted and became a saint. The scene of the miraculous shoeing of the horse has, in various eras, been repeatedly reproduced by numerous artists to adorn various churches, not only in Italy. The first images appear as early as the drafting of the statutes of the blacksmiths' art.

Materials used:

Watercolor, pencil and ink on cardboard

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