Walbert and Bertille

The man is fighting the lion with his right hand, but he himself is attached to the tree trunk on his left, which he is holding on to with his free hand. Similarly, the woman accompanying him is also clutching the tree with her right hand, while her left hand holds the book of the Holy Scriptures to her chest. The two figures are facing each other. The man on one side has a median parting and is characterised by his long, upturned moustache, while the woman wears an aristocratic tiara. Both wear long belts tied at the belly, which fall over pleated and flared skirts, with pleats that are sometimes even vermiculated in the case of the female figure. Finally, the female figure also wears a veil tied to her wrists.

These two figures are the holy couple of Walbert and Bertille, who lived in Cousolre in the 7th century. The composition is therefore part of local hagiography and commemorates the Christian couple who fought against paganism and brought life. On the other hand, the vermiculated folds on the skirt of the female figure are also common in Namur art, taken from the formula used at the beginning of the 12th century in Languedoc and Italy and later used in Reims and Tournai, two possible relays of Mosan craftsmanship.

The tree between the two figures represents the Tree of Life, symbolising the Cross and Paradise, the reward for victory over pagan religions.