4 ms·
I've heard of "bull in a china shop", but "ox in a library" is even worse! And a *flying* ox with wings at that!—so it can reach the top shelves, too, I guess.
by perihelions 2y ago
I've heard of "bull in a china shop", but "ox in a library" is even worse! And a *flying* ox with wings at that!—so it can reach the top shelves, too, I guess.
Wikipedia tells me a winged ox is old religious iconography associated with Saint Luke [0], which explains why they've inserted it into multiple paintings in otherwise-nonsensical contexts. (Wikipedia also has one additional painting of this ox ("Hermen Rode (1484)")—this one is actually standing on a bookshelf, why not).
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luke_the_Evangelist#Symbol https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luke_the_Evangelist#Symbol
- kjellsbells 2y agoOnce you learn the iconography it's hard to unsee when you look at almost any piece of art from that period. John has the eagle, Mark the lion, Matthew the angel. That's why St Marks square in Venice has a lion, for example. Since we are talking nonsensical images with books, heres one of the eagle of St. John settling down for a nice read. https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/the-eagle-symbol-of-saint-john-the-evangelist-detail-from-news-photo/929952838 https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/the-eagle-symb...