Plague Doctor Wood Burned Portrait

A Pyrography Portrait of the infamous portrait of a Plague Doctor woodcut image from the Bubonic Plague era. Quite chilling, no?

I made the mistake of burning this into a shelf drawer, so I can't fully enjoy the fruits of my labor if I actually use the drawer for art supplies!

For those who were wondering about the strange bird mask:

A common belief at the time was that the plague was spread by "bad air". There may have been a belief that by dressing in a bird-like mask, the wearer could draw the plague away from the patient and onto the garment the plague doctor wore. The mask also included red glass eyepieces, which were thought to make the wearer impervious to evil. The beak of the mask was often filled with strongly aromatic herbs and spices to overpower the miasmas or "bad air" which was also thought to carry the plague. (From Wikipedia)

More here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consequences_of_the_Black_Death