The Devil’s Mousetrap

Abstract Saint Augustine’s phrase “Muscipula Diaboli” (the Devil’s mousetrap) is cited by the distinguished art historian Meyer Schapiro in an essay published in 1945: “‘Muscipula Diaboli,’ The Symbolism of the Merode Altarpiece.” In the right wing of the triptych (by the Master of Flemalle, Robert Campin), Joseph, the husband of Mary, is portrayed as an artisan who fashions intricate wooden mousetraps. “Not only is the presence of Joseph in the context of the Annunciation exceptional in Christian art,” Schapiro writes, “we are surprised also that his craft of carpentry should be applied to something so piquant and marginal in métier.”