Today the picture hangs in the National Gallery in Washington , next to a 13-inch-high portrait of a lady by Rogier , which looks like a mural by comparison . Visitors are astonished by the intricate detail in “ St . George ,” which would be impressive in a painting five times its size . The gleaming scales of the dragon are echoed by the reflections on the saint ’ s armor . The praying princess wears a gown with intricate embroidery . Behind them is a fantastically detailed harbor and city , with churches and houses and microscopic ships in the distance . Rogier may have used a magnifying glass , a device invented in the 13th century by the English scholar Roger Bacon .
His compatriot , Pieter Bruegel the Elder ( 1525- 1569 ), also worked small , but he was much rougher . His smallest picture , “ The Beggars ,” shows five men hobbling with crutches . At least three have had both feet amputated ; the one who still has his feet is brought as low as the others . They are gathered to seek alms , like the cloaked woman behind them .
“ Saint George and the Dragon ,” circa 1435 Rogier van der Weyden , 5 ⅝ by 4 ⅛ ”
“ The Beggars ,” 1568 Pieter Bruegel the Elder , 7 ¼ by 8 ¼ ”
Disabled people were an object of mockery in Breughel ’ s day , and there is no reason to think he painted these men to express sympathy for them . His intent may well have been political . They all wear different hats ; one man wears a parody of a bishop ’ s miter , another , a crude replica of a soldier ’ s hat . The fox tails they wear symbolized leprosy , although none of these men are lepers . Fox tails were also worn by rebels against Spanish rule in the Netherlands , as a sign of solidarity . The Spanish contemptuously called them “ beggars ,” a name they adopted with pride . This tiny painting may be an early political cartoon . If so , it raises the question of why Breugel would depict anti-Spanish rebels so mockingly , when it was his own people who were being oppressed . Another interpretation is that it reflects a belief , common in Breughel ’ s day , that disabled people brought their misfortune on themselves through sin — and even if they are not guilty as individuals , they demonstrate how weak and corruptible is human flesh .
A mania for miniatures overtook the ruling classes in Elizabethan England . They were often enclosed in a locket , exchanged between courtly lovers , often containing a coded message . One of the finest miniaturists was Nicholas Hilliard ( 1547-1619 ), who worked in watercolor on vellum . In 1587 , he painted an elegant young man in white tights , a padded
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