San Antonio College Library

Describes the appearance and the symbolic meaning of beasts, demons, and mythical creatures in paintings, drawings, and sculpture from various eras and cultures.

"The depiction of animals in art goes back to prehistoric cave paintings, and the early history of jewelry, from ancient Egyptian scarabs to Renaissance pendants, shows abundant examples of animal imagery." "In the nineteenth century, with the growth of a middle class eager to show off their recently acquired wealth, a new group of designers sought to satisfy the appetite for jewels of all types made of precious metals, precious or semi-precious stones,...

Describes the work of sculptors, model makers, stone cutters, and stone carvers in creating gargoyles and other creatures and surveys carving on churches and other buildings.

"This book is the first to investigate representations of human animals in early Greek art (ca. 750-450 B.C.). The Centaur's Smile discusses the oriental antecedents of these fantastic creatures, examining the influence of Egyptian and Near Eastern models on the formation of Greek monsters in the Geometric and Archaic periods. Fully illustrated essays explore the nature and origin of horse men (centaurs and satyrs) and the broader range of Greek composite...