How to Distinguish the Saints in Art by Their Costumes, Symbols and Attributes

9781417908707

141790870x

1925. More than 400 illustrations. The author explains in the Foreword that: Now, just as in Gothic architecture, every portion of a cathedral or church had its symbolic significance, so has every item in the splendid altarpieces or mural paintings depicting the Divine Trinity, the Virgin Mary alone, or with Her Child, the Holy Family, the Evangelists and Apostles, the Fathers of the Church, the Patron Saints, the Monastic Orders, and so forth. In all such pictures the placing of the personages was effected according to hierarchal laws laid down by the Church, and in addition to the added enjoyment one can find in the understanding of what has hitherto been largely a sealed book-as far as laymen are concerned-the knowledge of these laws will often help in attributing a picture, and deducing, from the evidence on its face, its history and origin...and have endeavored to explain, in as few words as possible, the symbolic meaning of the costumes, accessories, and even the attitudes, of the personages of the Holy Trinity, of the Mother of Our Lord, and of the Saints...A wonderful and practical guide for students of Art.