This document discusses animals in medieval art through summaries of several pieces in the collection. It describes depictions of animals in sculptures, tapestries, glasswork and ceramics from different periods and regions of medieval Europe. The pieces portrayed animals both real and fantastical in various contexts from biblical stories to hunting scenes. Animals occupied an important symbolic place in medieval art and thought.

1. Animals in Medieval Art
Animals, both real and fantastic,
occupied an important place in
.medieval art and thought

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. , 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