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Back to topThe Grand Medieval Bestiary (Dragonet Edition): Animals in Illuminated Manuscripts (Hardcover)
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Description
Now in an affordable edition, a splendid pageant of the animal kingdom as the Middle Ages saw it
As the 587 colorful images in this magnificent volume reveal, animals were a constant—and delightful—presence in illuminated manuscripts throughout the Middle Ages. They were illustrated not only in bestiaries—the compendiums of animal fact and fable that were exceedingly popular in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries—but in every sort of manuscript, sacred and profane, from the Gospels to the Romance of the Rose.
This book is arranged in manner of a proper bestiary, with essays on the medieval lore and iconography of one hundred creatures alphabetized by their Latin names, from the alauda, or lark, whose morning song was thought to be a hymn to Creation, to the vultur, whose taste for carrion made it a symbol of the sinner who indulges in worldly pleasures. The selection includes a number of creatures that would now be considered fantastic, including the griffin, the manticore, and of course the fabled unicorn.
About the Author
Christian Heck, professor of art history at the University of Lille, is an authority on illuminated manuscripts.
Rémy Cordonnier, who holds a doctorate in art history, is head of the cultural heritage department of the library of Saint-Omer, France.
Praise For…
This is a huge and beautiful book that feels almost like a trip to the Cloisters between two covers.
— New York Daily News
Rarely have earnest scholarship and sheer wonder come together as comfortably as they have here. And as magical as the original artworks surely are, this unique volume is literally better than the real thing, since it allows us to ogle them closely.
— Fine Art Connoisseur
Every year I try to reserve the adjective "stunning" for one book. This is it.
— Holiday Gift Guide, The Seattle Times
Heck and Cordonnier’s creation allows modern readers to understand a little of the preciousness of a medieval book. . . The Grand Medieval Bestiary feels magical, valuable, and important.
— New York Journal of Books