Beasts and Bestiaries

by Mezzalira, Francesco; Cavallo, Guglielmo; Mainardi, Danilo

• ISBN13: 9788842210955
• ISBN10: 8842210951
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-03-01
• Publisher: Umberto Allemandi

Summary

With an introduction by the well-known animal psychologist, Dannilo Mainardi, this book discusses the historical and scientific questions raised by animal illustrations, and then looks at specific examples. These range from the Codex Vindobonensis, an illuminated manuscript of the 6th century AD with its illustrations of birds, reptiles and anthropods, through fascinating medieval bestiaries crowded with pelicans, eagles and unicorns, all heavy with Christian or heraldic meaning, to zoological depictions of the 16th century, where the animals are often accessories to aristocratic portraits or religious paintings. From the realism of Antiquity to the anthropomorphism of Pisanello, Carpaccio and Giambologna, the book unites the themes of art and animals over thousands of years.