 |
 |
Tom--I agree-this seems distinctly US late 19th century.I teach both Italian Renaissance art and American art and I hear from my students every semester on the same subject. It has no relationship to Renaissance or Baroque equestrians but does seem to hold for the Civil War types. sharon >From: Thomas Izbicki <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: [log in to unmask] >To: [log in to unmask] >CC: Anna Sander <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: Re: effigies >Date: Fri, 03 Dec 1999 14:35:49 -0500 (EST) > >John, >I think that may be a variant of a US usage. At least at Gettysburg, a >horse with one leg raised means the rider was wounded; two means he >- the rider - died on the field. >Tom Izbicki > > > >On Fri, 3 Dec 1999, John Carmi Parsons wrote: > > > Date: Fri, 03 Dec 1999 12:03:44 -0500 > > From: John Carmi Parsons <[log in to unmask]> > > Reply-To: [log in to unmask] > > To: Anna Sander <[log in to unmask]> > > Cc: [log in to unmask] > > Subject: Re: effigies > > > > There's also an old canard that it's possible to tell from an equestrian > > statue whether its rider was ever wounded in battle: if the horse has >one > > leg raised the rider was wounded once, two legs he was wounded more than >once, > > three legs he died in battle. Pure nonsense; the simple fact is that a >statue > > of a horse with all four legs on the ground is static and boring so at >least > > one leg is always shown raised. Similarly it used to be thought that >knightly > > effigies with crossed legs represented crusaders but this has now been > > discounted as antiquarian imagination. So I'd have reservations about >whether > > animals could represent crusading status any more than they represent >battle > > scars. > > > > John P. > > > > > > On Fri, 3 Dec 1999, Anna Sander wrote: > > > > > Dear Jim, > > > > > > The consensus from the DPhil workroom here is that a dog under the >feet > > > of a knight's tomb effigy means he died at home, and a lion means he > > > died on the Crusades. (!) The consensus is also that there isn't a > > > documented meaning, which means that this is a guess. A dog under the > > > feet of somebody's wife's effigy, however, indicates fidelity, as per > > > another answer. > > > > > > Anna Sander > > > Centre for Medieval Studies, York > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Jim Kerbaugh wrote: > > > > > > > > Dear Listmembers, > > > > > > > > Last week I led a group of American undergraduates on a tour of > > > > cathedrals & castles in the UK. At Salisbury, one of my students > > > > asked if the dog at the feet of knights on tomb effigies meant > > > > anything. Being <indifferent honest,> I said yes, but I've >forgotten > > > > what. I've been searching my bookshelves all week without any luck, > > > > so I'd be eternally grateful for the information. I solemnly >promise > > > > not to forget again. > > > > > > > > Desperately yours, > > > > Jim Kerbaugh > > > ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%