‘Pisanello’s Vision’ by Bruce Dale Wise

How beautifully does Pisanello seize
upon the Vision of Eustachius in paint,
where all conjoins together in a whole to please,
although a grim foreboding portrait of the saint,
for he and family will all be put to death
for spurning Roman gods. But here there is no taint.
The woodland scene is lovely in its dreamy depth.
Saint Eustace and his halted horse are finely decked.
The deer, the hounds, the hare, the birds are fresh of breath,
as Christ upon a cross against the blackground flecks.
Here is an ideal nature in shimmering frieze,
a peaceful, moving calm, Renaissance circumspect.

Featured Image: “The Vision of Saint Eustace” by the early Italian Renaissance master Pisanello, now in the National Gallery in London. (Wikimedia Commons)

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