Intelligent Design is a late 20th-century term, but it applies nicely to medieval natural philosophy. The intricacies, patterns, correspondences and flourishes of beauty in Nature were understood as signatures left behind by God. Nothing in the created world had any inherent value; each part of creation was a clue to decoding the meaning in the divinely engineered universe. In the European Middle Ages, bestiaries were encyclopedias of animal wisdom and lore, many lavishly illustrated. Join art historian Brenda Edgar as bestiaries provide us with a lens through which to understand the medieval approach to “scientific” inquiry.

Join us for our “Art History Illustrated” talk series, held the third Thursday of every month at 5:30 p.m. This monthly illustrated talk series is presented by art historian Brenda Edgar, in collaboration with The Floyd County Carnegie Library Cultural Arts Center.

Image: Lion from the Ashmole Bestiary, Bodleian Library, MS Ashmole 1511, Folio 21r. English, early 13th century.