"...Wheatcroft's essay on Classical influences in the bestiaries is an iconographical study but one that is fully integrated with ancient ideological influences that were incorporated into new Christian contexts, which distinguishes this study from previous ones that have provided important insights into the artistic origins of medieval animal imagery. The analyses of the bestiary snake and phoenix show how visual evidence of earlier religious practices were adopted and modified to serve the newer demands of emerging Christian doctrine. The analysis concentrates on correspondences between the significance of the snake and the phoenix in ancient Rome and on concomitant connections between the Roman cult of the dead and emerging Christian beliefs surrounding death and salvation." - introduction

Language: English

ISBN: 0-8153-2952-0