“Ask the beast and it will teach thee, and the birds of heaven and they will tell thee.” —Job 12:7 In the Middle Ages, the bestiary achieved a popularity

A celebration of the visual contributions of the bestiary--one of the most popular types of illuminated books during the Middle Ages--and an exploration of its

These images, which reached a broad and socially varied audience across Western Europe, appeared in virtually all artistic media, including illuminated manuscri

The medieval bestiary was a contribution to didactic religious literature, addressing concerns central to all walks of Christian and secular life. These essays