Unicorns, lions, and griffins race, tumble, and soar through the pages of bestiaries – the medieval book of beasts. The bestiary brought creatures – both real and fantastic – to life before a reader’s eyes, offering both devotional inspiration and literary enjoyment. A kind of encyclopedia of animals, the bestiary was among the most popular illuminated texts in northern Europe, especially in England, during the Middle Ages (about 500-1500). On view at the J. Paul Getty Museum May 14 through August 18, 2019, Book of Beasts: The Bestiary in the Medieval World explores for the first time in a major museum exhibition the bestiary and its widespread influence on medieval art and culture.

Unknown Flemish artist, Triumph of Fortitude, ca. 1535
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco
This exhibition features one-third of the world’s surviving Latin illuminated bestiaries and gathers together more than 100 works in a variety of media from institutions across the United States and Europe, including manuscripts, paintings, tapestries, sculpture, and decorative arts from the Middle Ages. A final section includes modern and contemporary works that trace the enduring legacy of the bestiary tradition. The Getty Museum’s three medieval bestiaries, including the famed Northumberland Bestiary (English, about 1250-1260) are central to the exhibition, and provided the inspiration for the exhibition’s theme.
In addition to many English and French manuscripts, this exhibition includes several (Franco-) Flemish bestiaries as well as multiple Flemish tapestries.