Uploaded June 2021 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
The funniest examples of medieval European paintings where the artist had clearly never seen the animal before.
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Medieval European art of animals often looked… a little different from the real-world species. European texts and illuminated manuscripts from this period are full of hilarious attempts to depict of far-off species, so here’s a breakdown of some of the most inaccurate — and most amusing — examples.
0:00 Intro
0:38 Elephant
0:58 Hippopotamus
1:24 Giraffe
1:42 Hyena
2:07 Tiger
2:40 Ostrich
3:24 Pelican
3:53 Whale
4:17 Dolphin
4:31 Sea Turtle
4:56 Crocodile
5:22 Scorpion
5:45 ???
6:13 Outro
Sources:
Animals in Medieval Art Overview - Melanie Holcomb: metmuseum.org/toah/hd/best/hd_best.htm
Medieval Elephants: blogs.bl.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2012/10/elephants-on-parade.html
Pelican Myth - Anastasia Pineschi : https://blogs.getty.edu/iris/the-pelican-self-sacrificing-mother-bird-of-the-medieval-bestiary/
Most images from Wikimedia Commons
♫ Music credit to Hooksounds ♫
#Medieval #History #Art
The funniest examples of medieval European paintings where the artist had clearly never seen the animal before.
Subscribe for more videos like this: youtube.com/channel/UCweDKPSF65wRw5VHFUJYiow?sub_confirmation=1
Curious Archive Social Media:
Twitter: twitter.com/Curious_Archive
Instagram: instagram.com/CuriousArchive
Facebook: facebook.com/CuriousArchiveYoutube
Medieval European art of animals often looked… a little different from the real-world species. European texts and illuminated manuscripts from this period are full of hilarious attempts to depict of far-off species, so here’s a breakdown of some of the most inaccurate — and most amusing — examples.
0:00 Intro
0:38 Elephant
0:58 Hippopotamus
1:24 Giraffe
1:42 Hyena
2:07 Tiger
2:40 Ostrich
3:24 Pelican
3:53 Whale
4:17 Dolphin
4:31 Sea Turtle
4:56 Crocodile
5:22 Scorpion
5:45 ???
6:13 Outro
Sources:
Animals in Medieval Art Overview - Melanie Holcomb: metmuseum.org/toah/hd/best/hd_best.htm
Medieval Elephants: blogs.bl.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2012/10/elephants-on-parade.html
Pelican Myth - Anastasia Pineschi : https://blogs.getty.edu/iris/the-pelican-self-sacrificing-mother-bird-of-the-medieval-bestiary/
Most images from Wikimedia Commons
♫ Music credit to Hooksounds ♫
#Medieval #History #Art
