Bestiaries
What is it?
- In the European Middle Ages a bestiary was a collection of stories, each based on a description of certain qualities of an animal, plant, or even stone.
- Content was often drawn from older sources.
- A luxury item for those who could afford it
Why was it made?
- These stories were used for Christian moral and religious instruction and admonition.
- Lavishly decorated images allowed teaching to those who could not read.
- Emphasis placed on the moral attribute not factual descriptions of the items
- Second only to the Christian Bible in popularity and distribution.
When was it made?
- The earliest known bestiary in this form, a Greek volume called Physiologus, dates from the 2nd century.
- The oldest is from England and dates from around and is distinguished by its incorporation of writings by Bartholomaeus Anglicus. (also known as Bartholomew of England.
- He was an early 13th century Perisian scholar and member of the Franciscan order)
Where were they found?
- Particularly popular in England and France around the 12 th century.
Resources
- http://www.pantheon.org/areas/bestiary/articles.html
A listing of beasts and their attributes. - http://bestiary.ca/manuscript.htm
Manuscripts here are of several types, including Bestiaries, Aviaries, Miscellanies, Psalters, Missals, and Books of Hours. So not all contain beasts. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bestiary
Wikipedia’s entry - http://www.abdn.ac.uk/bestiary/
The Aberdeen Bestiary, the most well-known of it’s time. My example is from here.
Other Online Sources
- http://www2.kb.dk/elib/mss/gks3466/index.htm
The Bestiaire of Philippe de Thaon - http://www2.kb.dk/elib/mss/gks1633/index.htm
The Bestiary of Anne Walshe
