Lions in insular British artwork, 650-1000 AD

Raye, Lee 2013. Lions in insular British artwork, 650-1000 AD. Journal for Late Antique Religion and Culture 7 , pp. 72-89. 10.18573/j.2013.10318

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Abstract

This paper identifies and examines six peculiarly insular-British features of the imago leonis. These are the absence of the evangelist, a red or gold colour, the frequent absence of wings, an orientation to sinister, a langued tongue and a “stretched” attitude. Each feature’s comparative frequency is graphically represented and the end of the paper discusses possible sources for the British conception of the lion. From a short comparative survey it is found that these features are typical only of insular British evangelist-symbol lions, and not lions in contemporary British artwork more generally or of non-insular British gospel lions. The style of the British imago leonis probably developed in isolation and from a classical model.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	History, Archaeology and Religion
Publisher:	Cardiff University
ISSN:	1754-517X
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	30 March 2016
Last Modified:	05 May 2023 00:19
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/78291

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