Illustration to an English manuscript of Pearl, circa 1400. Pearl is an anonymous 14th-century poem, written in Middle English. The poem describes an allegorical dream/vision, and alludes to Jesus' parable of the Pearl. This painting is the first of a series of four miniatures illustrating prominent aspects of the vision: 1) falling asleep in this world; 2) wandering in a dream/vision garden; 3) encountering his guide, the Pearl maiden, on the far side of a river; 4) being shown the heavenly Jerusalem.