Praying Bench, San Pedro, Gerona 

Muirhead Bone captured this praying bench in San Pedro, Gerona with charcoal, a medium as somber as the setting itself. The inscription above the barred window, "SUMERGIERA EN SU FURORE MISERICORDIA SENOR"- translated as "Immerse in your fury, Lord, mercy"- speaks volumes of the desperate plea for divine grace. The bars themselves evoke a sense of confinement, a theme that echoes across time and cultures, from medieval dungeons to modern prisons. These vertical lines are reminiscent of the "Höllenfenster" or "hell windows" in medieval art, dividing the earthly from the divine. The bench, a place for supplication, is rendered with simple, almost brutal strokes. Its presence prompts reflection on the psychological weight of repentance and the enduring human need for redemption. Bone captures the very essence of spiritual yearning. The motif reappears again and again, transformed yet recognizable, throughout the ages.