Animals in Medieval Art, Eighth and Early Ninth Centuries

Manuscripts, and other works of art from this time period, are highly adorned with animal imagery. While many of the depictions are that of pagan symbols, they have survived throughout Christian art.

In Catherine Karkov’s book, The Insular Tradition, we are told that these pagan symbols survived in Christian art due to the translation, and adaptation of classical texts by the Christian church. Many of these texts form the basis of what evolved into illustrated bestiary, which reached its mature form in the twelfth century. There is a great obsession with animal forms, which is the main characteristic of Insular art. Animals are used to decorate everything from manuscripts, to crosses, to coffins. Christians drew upon these forms as a new focus for religious teaching.

There are several classical texts, which help to form this basis. While there are to many to list at this time, here is a list of some examples:

Aristotle’s Historia Animalium Pliny’s Historia Naturalis Solinus’ Collectanea Memorabilium

Sources

Karkov, Catherine. The Insular Tradition. New York: State University of New York, 1997.