Signs and Symbols in Christian Art: With I from Paintings from the Renaissance (Galaxy Books)

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 304 pages
• Published by: Oxford University Press, USA December 31, 1966
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0195014324
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0195014327
• Book Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Weighs: 8 ounces

Product Review
"A awesome help to so many students who haven't been raised with the exposure to Christian iconography. Thanks!"-- Nancy Noonan-Morrissey, Front Range Community College

"Excellent reference book--well-organized and highly informative--also, moderately priced!"--Marie Canaves, Cape Cod Community College

"Ferguson has brought a dead language back to life. He writes simply and clearly."--The Chicago Tribune

"[A] superb volume."--The Christian Century

"An extraordinarily gorgeous and useful book.For clergymen, both Protestant and Catholic, who are interested in liturgies and symbolism, for architects and artists, and for all devotees of art this is an very valuable volume."--Kirkus Reviews

"A good book of reference for the general reader."--The Nation

"The publication of this book is an important event. There is no comparable guide in English to the profoundly gorgeous symbolism of Christian art."--John Walker, Director Emeritus of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

"Whether as a reference work or as an invitation to fascinating browsing, the book is a treasure."--Journal of Bible and Religion

"An great resource with its nicely organized and easy-to-find explanations of persons, symbols, events/beliefs depicted in Christian art. My students found it to be a useful tool as they worked on their interpretations of paintings and other artistic renderings of NT texts. I hope this book will stay in print."--Professor Benjamin Fiore, Canisius College

Product Description
First published in 1954 and having gone through several editions, this comprehensive book remains the authoritative source in the study of symbols in Christian art. This paperback edition includes all of the three hundred fifty illustrations from the original edition, as well as the complete and unabridged text, revealing . the symbolism inherent in representations of religious personages, the Earth and Sky, animals, birds, insects, and flowers. In addition to a discussion of objects treated symbolically in Christian art, George Ferguson explores Old Testament characters and events and their symbolic representation in art. In addition to a discussion of objects treated symbolically in Christian art, George Ferguson explores Old Testament characters and events and their symbolic representation in art.

Reader Reviews
If you've ever wondered about the seemingly strange choices of modern writers or film directors (such as the repeated reference to chocolate "mouse" in the film "Rosemary's Baby"), "Signs and Symbols in Christain Art" will deepen your enjoyment of contemporary artforms as well as antique paintings found in museums. Built around the symbol-system of Roman Catholic Church art, Ferguson's book illustrates the ways in which medieval and rennaissance artists tried to visualize scripture and cannon for their illiterate audiences. Compact and consise, "Signs and Symbols" serves as a perfect bring-along for your next museum trip - but since the reader can look up various saints and doctrines (such as the Seven Deadly Sins and the Seven Virtues) as well as visual symbols, this book is more than just an art reference. First-year art students are typically required to use this book in Survey of Western Art 101, but it deserves a place on the bookshelf of any home which aspires to cultural literacy.