Stove tile depicting a pelican bringing its chicks back to life with its blood

Every year, May 10th is the Day of Birds and Trees in Hungary, and in connection with this we would like to present this stove tile. It was found during an excavation in 1949 by László Gerevich, not far from the chapel of Buda Castle, and can be dated to the second half of the 15th century. The stoves of the medieval royal castle not only provided heating, but also served a representative role.

The featured object was described by Eszter Kovács in the exhibition catalogue ‘Heartwarming Middle Ages’ as follows:

“In the central part of the image field we can see a pelican with outstretched wings with its chicks, in a wicker basket-like nest. […] Ancient sources considered the pelican to be similar to the swan, but described it as a voracious, gluttonous bird that has two stomachs and swallows everything until its second stomach is full. […] During the Middle Ages this view changed, and it was believed that the parents love and carefully raise their young, but when they grow up, they turn against their parents. Then the parents kill them in anger. After that they begin to regret their acts and they mourn for three days. The mother then tears her side open and soaks her chicks in her own blood, which gives them new life. Thus, the pelican became one of the best-known symbols of Christ, who redeemed people with his blood seeping from his side while being crucified. Like most medieval imagery, this tile does not feature a life-like representation of the bird.” (Kiss–Spekner–Végh: Szívmelengető középkor. Kályhák és kályhacsempék a középkori Magyarországon, 14–16. század [Heartwarming Middle Ages: Stoves and Stove Tiles in Medieval Hungary, 14th-16th century]. Budapest History Museum Castle Museum, 2018, 157–158.)