V & A (n.d) The Raphael Cartoons: Animal Imagery in 'The Miraculous Draught of Fishes'. Retrieved from
Raphael has a lot of animal imagery in his Cartoon labeled
“The Miraculous Draught of Fishes”. In the Cartoon he shows various types of
birds. He also shows a bunch of Fish and crabs. To the bottom right of the
cartoon are three cranes. According to the Roman author Pliny, the birds
represent vigilance. Cranes would take turns keeping watch while the others
would rest. The crane would hold a stone in its claw and if it were to drift
off the stone would drop and wake the other cranes. The crane is an emblem of
papal authority because of its vigilance. The cranes in the cartoon represent
the fisherman looking over water. The birds are mimicking the acts of the
fisherman. The cranes emphasize Peter’s role as the fisher of men because of
the symbol of papal authority. This shows the link between peter and the
commissioner Pope Leo X.
The Ravens that glide gracefully over the fisherman were
thought to be and unpleasant bird that scavenged on the dead. The raves have a
bad representation because of their ties to the story of Noah’s arc. When they
were sent form the arch they never returned like the doves. The ravens are a
symbol of sin. During the time of this cartoon ravens were also thought to
represent a corrupt priest. In the carton the ravens are next to swans to show
the issues with converting sinners.
The Fishes were thought to represent compassion because so
species of fishes were known to shelter and protect young in their mouths. In
the cartoon they are representing the souls that St Peter is saving as he
swoops them up in his net. The shellfish represent the opposite of this as they
are tossed aside for the cranes. Christ gestures to the fisherman to let their
nets down and into the water to collect the souls.
The crabs were symbols of greed and covetousness which is
one of the 7 deadly sins. The crabs represent the complete opposite of the
fishes. The crustaceans are symbols of wickedness and they are left over for
the other fisherman represented by the cranes.
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ReplyDeleteVery interesting and fine reproduction to appreciate. I finally found the swan in between Christ and St. Peter; a significant placement.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that paintings from the High Renaissance symbolizes and/or narrative additional information about the story that it tells rather than being just a painting. In other words, the more you see the more you can gain in its meaning.
ReplyDeleteIs there evidence of animal imagery in other Raphael paintings? This is great, because I haven't seen too many animals painted in the Renaissance.
ReplyDelete