Saint Bartholomew Delivering Saint Guthlac from Demons

Within a circular frame, Saint Bartholomew stands on the left, wearing robes and a halo, holding a scourge or whip with three knotted lashes. He extends the whip toward a bearded figure, Saint Guthlac, who is being forcibly dragged by two winged, clawed demons toward a large, toothy Hellmouth on the right. Inside the maw of the creature, other smaller demons are present, including a crowned figure. The style is linear, characteristic of 13th-century English manuscript illumination, using dark ink outlines on a light parchment background.

This illumination is a critical sequence from the Guthlac Roll, which depicts the life and miracles of the Anglo-Saxon saint, Guthlac of Crowland. It reflects the medieval belief in the tangible, physical combat between saints and demonic forces.