The eighteen drawings in this book are about the miracles of Our Lady of the Pottery. She is linked to the historical hospital complex of the same name, named after the potteries in the area. The miracles of Our Lady of the Pottery are manifested through a 13th-century Madonna statue that is still present in the church. The book opens with a 17th-century introduction to the miracles. The first drawing depicts the Madonna statue in front of a latticed window. This is followed by sixteen drawings portraying the miracles of Our Lady of the Pottery. The series ends with kneeling pilgrims venerating the Madonna, who this time is depicted on an altar. Each drawing is accompanied by an eight-line verse.

The drawings were probably made by a 16th-century draughtsman who sought inspiration from 15th-century art in the region. While the line work, static compositions and detailed textural expression appear to be late 15th-century, the clothing of the figures portrayed features 16th-century elements. This is consistent with the dating of the paper, which is estimated to be around 1520-21. Indeed, some pages in the Miracle book contain a watermark that has also been found in the paper of archive documents from Our Lady of the Pottery, written in those years.

The church has a series of tapestries from around 1630 that are based on the drawings from the book. A 17th-century manuscript containing copies of the drawings from the Miracle Book is kept at the University of Liège.

MASTERPIECE

The Miracle Book is exceptional because, as far as is known, it is the only illustrated text of miracles from the Southern Netherlands. Other miracle books usually only comprise text: pages full of testimonies of miracles chronicled by a cleric of the place of worship. The book seems closer to the broad and visually rich miracle culture. A place of worship was often decorated with paintings, tapestries and stained glass with images of miracles. Furthermore, pilgrims took votive offerings, pilgrims’ insignia, and prints with the images on their journeys. In the Church of Our Lady of Damme, there is a panel with miracle images in the same format as the drawings from the Miracle Book.