The grotesque in church art . ned animal with the hinderparts of a horse ; indeed there appears everywhere so multi-farious and so wonderful a variety of diverse forms that oneis more apt to con over the sculptures than to study thescriptures, to occupy the whole day in wondering at thesethan in meditating upon Gods law. It has now to be observed how far the symbolic fanciesof ancient beliefs have left their impress on the grotesque artof our churches. A common representation of the great sun-myth was thatof two eagles, or dragons, watching one at each side of an were the powers of
The grotesque in church art . ned animal with the hinderparts of a horse ; indeed there appears everywhere so multi-farious and so wonderful a variety of diverse forms that oneis more apt to con over the sculptures than to study thescriptures, to occupy the whole day in wondering at thesethan in meditating upon Gods law. It has now to be observed how far the symbolic fanciesof ancient beliefs have left their impress on the grotesque artof our churches. A common representation of the great sun-myth was thatof two eagles, or dragons, watching one at each side of an were the powers of darkness, one at each limit of theday, waiting to destroy the light. This poetic idea has comedown to us in many forms. Greek art was unconsciouslyfrequent in its use of the form, and mediaeval sculptors, beingoften quite ignorant of the significance of the design, use it in 3« THE GROTESQUE IN CHURCH ART. a variety of ways, in many of which the likeness to theoriginal is entirely lost, the composition ending in but a Semi-. te* THE ALTAR OF LIGHT AND THE BIRDS OF DARKNESS, LINCOLN. natural representation of birds pecking at fruit. In the aboveblock from Lincoln Minster, the altar is well preserved. Inthe next block, which is from a carving connected with thepreceding one, the idea is more distantly hinted at.
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, booksubjec, booksubjectchristianartandsymbolism
