Animals in Medieval Art

Animals, both real and fantastic, occupied an important place in

medieval art and thought.

The Unicorn Defends Himself, 1495–1505

South Netherlandish

Wool and Silk; 145 x 158 in. (368.3 x 401.3 cm)

The Cloisters Collection, 1937 (37.80.4)

With the help of their dogs, the hunters have surrounded the unicorn. As the men prepare to spear him, and dogs bite at his haunch, the unicorn kicks out in anger, at the same time stabbing a dog with his horn. The hunting dogs are portrayed with remarkable precision, as are the waterfowl in the

foreground .

Table base with the Story of Jonah, early 4th century

Roman

Marble; 19 1/2 x 24 x 13 1/4 in. (49.5 x 61 x 33.7 cm)

Gift of John Todd Edgar, 1877 (77.7)

The sculpture portrays two key episodes from the biblical story of Johan in succession: first, he is thrown overboard during a great storm at sea and swallowed by a great fish; then, after three days, Jonah is saved when the fish vomits. A testament to the power of faith, the Jonah story was embraced by Christians as foretelling the story of Jesus' resurrection from the dead after three days.

Round Box Brooch, 700–900

Viking; Made in Gotland, Sweden

Copper alloy; D. 1 15/16 in. (4.9 cm)

Pfeiffer Fund, 1992 (1992.59.1)

A menagerie of tiny animals inhabits the interlace patterns on this round brooch. The four oval compartments on the top show beasts with round eyes, open jaws, claw feet, and intricately entwined bodies. Known as a box brooch because it was used as a container for small objects, it would have been worn by a Viking woman on the island of Gotland to secure her

shawl at the collar .

Narbonne Arch, ca. 1150–75

French

Marble; 3 ft. 4 in. x 6 ft. 2 in. (101.6 x 188 cm)

John Stewart Kennedy Fund, 1922 (22.58.1a)

This intricately carved arch is said to have come from a twelfth-century church in Narbonne, in southwestern France. It is composed of seven blocks of marble on which are carved eight fantastic beasts, comprising an abbreviated visual bestiary.

he hermitage of San Baudelio de Berlanga was constructed in the beginning of the eleventh century at the heart of the frontier between Islamic and Christian lands. Its interior was transformed 150 years later with the addition of two cycles of vibrant wall paintings. The upper walls of the church were decorated with a series of scenes from the life of Christ, while the lower sections include boldly painted hunt scenes and images of animals, all of which derive from earlier Islamic objects.

The crowned centaur (undoubtedly Chiron, the king of centaurs) appears about to slay the dragon attacking his left side with the sword wielded in his right hand. Already representing a fantastic, composite beast, the form of this aquamanile is further enriched by the dragon whose head and neck, grasped in the centaur's left hand, form the spout. A second dragon forms the handle on the centaur's back. The vessel was filled through a hole in the top of the centaur's head. The centaur is a familiar figure in medieval imagery, appearing most often as the archer, Sagittarius, in representations of the zodiac. A few other surviving aquamanilia are in the form of centaurs, but none of these represent the battle with the dragon. Stylistically, this aquamanile belongs to a group of works in copper alloy that can be compared to a baptismal font cast in Hildesheim (Lower Saxony) about 1225.

This tapestry is part of a series that symbolically represents man's life on earth as a stag hunt. Man is depicted here as "the fragile stag" bounding through the woods.

The stag is being hunted by desire, Rashness, and Overconfidence, the hunting dogs set loose by Ignorance, portrayed as an elegantly dressed woman at the bottom center of the tapestry. Dominating the scene at the right is another courtly lady,

Vanity, who sounds the hunting horn.This allegory cautions against the vices that threaten man's progress in life and

serves as a reminder of human frality.

After a Design by Augustin Hirschvogel (German, 1503–1553)

Colorless glass, silver stain, vitreous paint, and cold enamel; Diam. 9 1/2 in. (24.1 cm)

The Cloisters Collection, 1979 (1979.185)

Hiding behind a large board, a bird catcher frightens quail at the sight of a painted steer, thus compelling the anxious birds toward his elaborate net. Part of a series of roundels based on drawings of different types of hunt, the glass may have been

intended for a hunting lodge or estate .

Bowl with arms of the Dazzi family ,

The lustrous ceramics created in Valencia were coveted by wealthy Europeans, especially Italians, who ordered their family arms emblazoned on each piece. Indeed, they purchased matching table services of different shapes. On this deep bowl, the arms of the Dazzi family are surrounded by

a pattern of bryony leaves .