The Power of Animal Images: How Museums Tell the Story of Animal Symbols: Case study of the Museum Catharijneconvent

Journal: Arts Studies and Criticism DOI: 10.32629/asc.v5i6.3452

Ziyuan Yang

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, 1081HV, The Netherlands

Abstract

Animals have consistently been a common subject in art, including religious adornments. The animals illustrated on the items have also been associated with symbolic significance. The utilization of animal symbolism imbued art or religious items with a sense of sanctity and transcendence. Museum exhibitions frequently feature artworks that incorporate animal elements. What are the most effective strategies for curators to leverage animal images' inherent benefits to attract visitors? Perhaps this case study about the Museum Catharijneconvent, Netherlands, can serve as a practical illustrative example.

Keywords

Museum Catharijneconvent; The Path and Puddle; Animal figures; curatorial concept

References

[1] Zhou Qiaoyun. (2011). On the origin of religious art and totem worship. Journal of Social Sciences of Hunan Normal University (05), 109-112.
[2] Ladner, Gerhart B. Speculum 50, no. 4 (1975): 732–38. https://doi.org/10.2307/2855486.
[3] Sandra H. Dudley, "Encountering a Chinese Horse: Engaging with the Thingness of Things", in: Museum Objects: Experiencing the Properties of Things, ed. Sandra H. Dudley (London: Routledge, 2012), 1-18.
[4] Path and Puddle, Kasper Bosmans, 2022. 294.5cm*400cm*1.5cm. Collection code: RMCC s382. Picture photography by Gunnar Meier. https://www.kasperbosmans.com/index/pathandpuddle
[5] Maasland (Master of Elsloo), late 15th century, halo and crowns 19th century. 257cm*145cm*57.5cm. Collection code: ABM bh606. Picture from Museum Catharijneconvent, Utrecht, photo Ruben de Heer. https://adlib.catharijneconvent.nl/Details/collect/41250.
[6] Available from: https://adlib.catharijneconvent.nl/Details/collect/468130
[7] Chen, Huaiyu. In the Land of Tigers and Snakes: Living with Animals in Medieval Chinese Religions. New York Chichester, West Sussex: Columbia University Press, 2023.
[8] Hans Peter Hahn mentioned this at the second day of the experimental workshop at Museum Cathariineconvent, Utrecht, as a concluding statement.

Copyright © 2025 Ziyuan Yang

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