Animals in Medieval Art, Sixth Century

Editing Animals in Medieval Art, Sixth Century

Hicks, Carola. "The Sixth Century." Animals in Early Medieval Art. Edinburgh University Press, 1993.

In this chapter Hicks examines insular animal art in Anglo-Saxon, Irish, and Pictish metal work (on war gear, funeral urns), rock carving, and pottery. To establish that Insular people were highly mobile on sea routes, she traces influences for insular forms of animal design to the artwork of nomadic tribes in central Asia and southern Russia; Germanic tribes on the continent and Scandinavia. Of particular significance are these animals (most of them predatory): boar, bull, predatory birds, dog, and (the nonpredatory) horse and stag. Their detailing on weaponry indicates the status of the warrior. Also present in Celtic work are the mythical creatures bearing Oriental influence. As Christianity became more integral to the culture, these pagan symbols also bore Christian significance. Just as pagan temples were converted into Christian houses of worship, so the animals inscribed on Pictish stones became symbols of Christian worship: the bird, fish, dolphin and snake appeared on stone crosses.