Fictitious & Symbolic Creatures in Art

Оглавление

John Vinycomb. Fictitious & Symbolic Creatures in Art

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

Notes on Animated Beings in Heraldic Art

The Symbolism of Attitude or Position

The Heraldic Spirit—Effective decorative Quality essential in Heraldry

Celestial Beings

Mistaken Modern Conception of Angels

Mediæval Art Treatment of Angels

Cherubim and Seraphim in Heraldry

Cherubim and Seraphim of Scripture

Emblems of the Four Evangelists

Chimerical Creatures of the Dragon and Serpent kind

The Dragon

The Dragon in Christian Art

The Dragon in the Royal Heraldry of Britain

The Crocodile as the Prototype of the Dragon

The Heraldic Dragon

The Hydra

The Wyvern

The Chimera

The Lion-Dragon

The Gorgon

The Cockatrice

Basilisk, or Amphysian Cockatrice

The Mythical Serpent

The Scorpion

Other Chimerical Creatures and Heraldic Beasts

The Unicorn

Mediæval Conception of the Unicorn

The Horn of the Unicorn

The Pegasus

Sagittary, Centaur, Sagittarius, Centaurus, Hippocentaur

Griffin or Gryphon

The Male Griffin

Other Varieties of the Griffin

The Opinicus, or Epimacus

The Sphynx

The Phœnix Bird of the Sun

The Harpy

The Heraldic Pelican

The Martlet

The Alerion

The Liver (Cormorant)

The Heraldic Tigre or Tyger

The Royal Tiger

Leopard, or Panther, Felis Pardus, Lybbarde

The Panther “Incensed”

The Lynx

Cat-a-Mountain—Tiger Cat or Wild Cat

The Salamander

Heraldic Antelope

The Heraldic Ibex

Bagwyn

The Camelopard, Camel-leopard

Musimon, Tityrus

The Enfield

Mantiger, Montegre or Manticora Satyral

Lamia or Emipusa

Baphomet

Apres

Stelliones

Fictitious Creatures of the Sea

Poseidon or Neptune

Merman or Triton

The Mermaid or Siren

The Sirens of Classic Mythology

The Dolphin of Legend and of Heraldry

The Dauphin of France

The Heraldic Dolphin

The Sea—Horse

Sea-lion

Sea-dog

Отрывок из книги

The human mind has a passionate longing for knowledge even of things past comprehension. Where it cannot know, it will imagine; what the mind conceives it will attempt to define. Are facts wanting, poetry steps in, and myth and song supply the void; cave and forest, mountain and valley, lake and river, are theatres peopled by fancy, and

Traditions of unreal beings inhabit the air, and will not vanish be they ever so sternly commanded; from the misty records of antiquity and the relics of past greatness as seen sculptured in stupendous ruins on the banks of the Nile and the plains of Assyria, strange shapes look with their mute stony eyes upon a world that knows them but imperfectly, and vainly attempts to unriddle the unfathomable mystery of their being. Western nations, with their growing civilisations, conjured up monsters of benign or baneful influence, or engrafted and expanded the older ideas in a manner suited to their genius and national characteristics.

.....

The supporters of the King of France were two angels standing on clouds, all proper, vested with taberts of the arms, the dexter France, the sinister Navarre, each holding a banner of the same arms affixed to a tilting-spear, and the cri de guerre or motto, “Mont-joye et St. Denis.” The shield bears the impaled arms of France and Navarre with several orders of knighthood, helmet, mantling and other accessories, all with a pavilion mantle.

Although Francis II., Charles IX., Henry III. and IV. and Louis XIII. had special supporters of their arms, yet they did not exclude the two angels of Charles VI., which were considered as the ordinary supporters of the kingdom of France. Louis XIV., Louis XV. and Louis XVI. never used any others.

.....