Uwagi o fikcji i fantazji w nowożytnej symbolice zwierząt

Abstract

In works concerning animals fiction and fantasy have marked their constant presence from the past till the present. From these perennial themes new senses and projections stem that tap freely into the reservoir of the former times. Thanks to the state of art methods and means of forming an image erstwhile fictions assume some “real” shape in virtual art. Over the centuries the phenomenon of repossessing tradition of image creation and symbolization lead to the formation in the 15 th , 16 th and 17 th centuries of a new symbolic code. Therein as a result of fascination with the manuscript by Horapollo’s Hieroglyphica discovered in 1419, believed to be an Egyptian original, in fact an Alexandrian work dating from the 5th century A. C., the old symbolism, although compiled and supplanted with new ideas, was preserved and extended in the form of the Renaissance hieroglyphs (not identical with the Egyptian ones). Not only does this article attempt to consider modern animal symbolism, but also to investigate the issue of repossessing the attainments of the predecessors by artists whose output contributed significantly to forging this tradition, namely Andrea Alciato, considered to be the originator of emblematics, the author of Emblematum liber (1531), Pierio Valeriano the author of Hieroglyphica, the compendium of symbols (1556), Cesare Ripa the author of Iconology (1593, illustrated edition 1603). Horapollo’s manuscript (published in Greek in 1505 and Latin in 1517) contributed to elevating the rank of works combining picture with a verbal commentary and inspired with this idea modern authors. Extensive symbolic motives in the works of Valerian to a significant degree provided a prescription for presenting abstract concepts by Ripa, along with Vincenzo Cartari (not mentioned in Ripa`s book), Alciati, Horapollo and a whole cohort of ancient authors. Nowadays new mythologies relating to literary, cinematographic works and computer games have come into being. They take advantage of age-old symbolic codes and create new ones. These works do deserve the privilege to be examined since they are yet another manifestation of preserving the tradition of animal symbolism.