Fictitious and Symbolic Creatures in Art

Discover the fantastic and magical creatures of art and literature with this fascinating and thorough book by John Vinycomb. Vinycomb selects creatures from legends, myths, folklore and classic stories and explains their purposes and significance in art and in British heraldry. Angels, dragons, unicorns, the Pegasus and griffons are just some of the subjects discussed in the book, and Vinycomb is especially interested in the symbolic meanings of these creatures. Drawing on literary sources from Shakespeare to Milton and Keats, Vinycomb analyzes and explains the significance and highlights the important differences of certain artists’ renderings of magical creatures. Additionally, the book contains a list of illustrations conveniently arranged by subject. Illustrations of celestial beings, serpents and dragons, chimerical creatures and creatures of the sea are available throughout the work. In all, Fictitious and Symbolic Creatures is the perfect reference for those interested in mythological or fictitious creatures.