The grand medieval bestiary
Subtitle: animals in illuminated manuscripts
By: by Christian Heck and Remy Cordonnier ; translated from the French by John A. Goodman, Linda Gardiner, Elizabeth Heard, Charles Penwarden, and Jane Marie Todd
Contributors: Cordonnier, Rémy
Edition: First edition.
Publisher: Abbeville Press
Published: 2012
Language: eng
Number of pages: 620
ISBN-13: 9780789211279
Subjects: Animals in art; Themes, motives; Animals, Mythical, in art; ART / History / Medieval; Medieval Illumination of books and manuscripts
Work titles: Bestiaire médiéval
Description: "The Grand Medieval Bestiary: Animals in Illuminated Manuscripts is a splendid pageant of the animal kingdom as the Middle Ages saw it, illustrated with miniatures of every period and style, many never before published. Noted art historian Christian Heck explains that the prevalence of animals in illuminated manuscripts reflects their importance in medieval thought, an importance due in part to the agricultural society of that age, in which a variety of species--and not just docile pets--were the daily companions of man. The main part of the book explores the complex and fascinating iconography of the individual creatures most frequently depicted by medieval miniaturists. It is arranged in the manner of a proper bestiary, with essays on one hundred animals alphabetized by their Latin names. The selection includes a number of creatures that would now be considered fantastic, including the griffin, the manticore, and of course the fabled unicorn, tamable only by a gentle maiden"--