Tag Archives: Animals

340 AD: Patron Saint of Beekeepers

Posted on April 13, 2018 by corvusfugit

According to tradition, a swarm of bees settled on the face of the infant St. Ambrose, leaving a drop of honey and thus foretelling the saint’s eloquence—his honeyed tongue. He is the patron saint of bees and beekeepers. A certain … Continue reading →

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1974: Iconography

Posted on April 1, 2018 by corvusfugit

Annibale Carracci: Christ Crowned with Thorns (16th Century) Phil Roman, director: It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown (1974)  

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1975: Huelga and Boycott

Posted on March 31, 2018 by corvusfugit

Happy Cesar Chavez Day! Chavez with his dogs Huelga (“strike”) and Boycott. He originally got them simply as guard dogs, but over time the relationship deepened. Boycott went everywhere with him—and he gave credit to both of them for leading … Continue reading →

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1997: Translation / Transformation

Posted on March 11, 2018 by corvusfugit

In a 1997 essay on translation, the writer Harry Mathews cites Marcel Benabou’s version of Keats’s “A thing of beauty is a joy forever”: Ah, singe débotté, / Hisse un jouet fort et vert! It’s not quite a translation: the … Continue reading →

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1371: The Strangest Duel

Posted on February 18, 2018 by corvusfugit

The strangest duel I ever met with, was one fought Between a dog and a man in the year 1371, in the presence of King Charles V of France… A Gentleman of the Court was supposed to have murdered another, … Continue reading →

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1675: Libertine with Monkey

Posted on February 17, 2018 by corvusfugit

Jacob Huysmans: Portrait of John Wilmont, 2nd Earl of Rochester (1647-1680) Were I (who to my cost already am One of those strange, prodigious creatures, man) A spirit free to choose, for my own share What case of flesh and … Continue reading →

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1906: The Union Butcher Shop

Posted on January 28, 2018 by corvusfugit

The Union Butcher Shop. A non-union man entered a butcher’s shop in which was conspicuously displayed the card of the meat cutter’s union. The following dialogue ensued: Mr. Non-Union—I see by that card you run a union shop. Butcher—Yes, sir; … Continue reading →

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17th Century: The Dog-Headed Saint

Posted on January 28, 2018 by corvusfugit

In Eastern Christian Orthodox iconography, Saint Christopher sometimes appears with the head of a dog. As a consummate outsider who would become the patron saint of travellers, Christopher came to be associated with tales of far-flung peoples who blurred the … Continue reading →

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1926: Watershed

Posted on December 31, 2017 by corvusfugit

Daniel Garber: A Wooded Watershed (1926)

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1815: Three Crows

Posted on December 18, 2017 by corvusfugit

Totoya Hokkei: 「三ひらの内」日輪に烏 [Three Crows against the Rising Sun] (mid 1810’s)

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