Animals in early medieval art
By: Carola Hicks.
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
Published: 1993
Place of publication: Edinburgh
Language: eng
Number of pages: 309
Subjects: Decoration and ornament, Anglo-Saxon.; Decoration and ornament, Medieval.; Animals in art.
Description: "The depiction and symbolism of animals have always fascinated us. This book illustrates their crucial importance in medieval art from the sixth to the eleventh centuries, and describes their use in sculpture, manuscripts, embroidery and metalwork. It shows how the underlying Celtic and Germanic traditions combined with Mediterranean influences to produce a far stronger animal art in Britain than anywhere else in Europe. Here, pagan imagery and symbolism were transmuted into Christian art and teaching, and by studying animal subjects in the whole of the British Isles rather than one region in particular, the artistic links between the Picts, Anglo-Saxons and Irish gradually emerge. Placing the emphasis on the naturalist tradition as well as the characteristic interlacing forms, Animals In Early Medieval Art uncovers the origins of the fantastic beasts of the bestiary, and draws conclusions about the transmission of motifs and ideas in general."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.