Published 2023-12-01
Keywords
- Animal iconography,
- Animal in European and Far Eastern art,
- Historical animal studies,
- Medieval bestiaries
Abstract
Animals have always been present in life and imagination of man generating a complex system of legends and symbols in both Eastern and Western cultures. The study analyses the reasons for the wide production of images related to animals, the motivations of certain iconographic choices and their origins. Examining, specifically, manuscript illuminations in a period approximately between the tenth and the fifteenth centuries AD, the text intends to compare premises and historical conditions, sensitivity and iconography related to the symbolism of the animal in Europe and Far East.