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Secondary sourcePainting1639

Saladin Proclaims He Will Take Only a Shirt to His Grave

John Payne · 1639

A 1639 engraving illustrating the famous legend that Saladin ordered it proclaimed he carried nothing to his grave but a shirt.

This 1639 engraving depicts the legendary deathbed humility of Saladin, shaping his later reputation in Europe.

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Engraving of a mounted figure in a tunic on a pale horse, with a banner-carrying rider behind him and a scroll above reading a proclamation. Soldiers with spears and a tent camp appear on the left, and a walled town on a hill behind. Caption below in print reads that Saladin caused it to be proclaimed that he carried nothing with him to the grave but a shirt.
John Payne, Saladin proclaims he will take only a shirt to his grave, 1639. Wellcome Collection.

About this source

What it is

This is an engraving made by John Payne in 1639. It shows a mounted figure identified as Saladin, with soldiers, a tent camp, and a walled town, and a scroll above announcing a proclamation. The printed caption below explains the scene. It is held by the Wellcome Collection.

Why it matters

The print illustrates a well-known anecdote about Saladin's death: that despite his great conquests, he wanted only a shirt buried with him. It was made centuries after Saladin's lifetime, so it tells us more about how Europeans remembered and moralised his legend than about actual events.

Look closer

  • Why might an artist in 1639 choose to illustrate this particular story about Saladin?
  • What does the scroll and proclamation suggest about how the artist wanted viewers to judge Saladin?
  • What is left out of this image that a strictly accurate historical account might include?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Saladin on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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