Giants and Dwarfs in European Art and Culture, ca. 1350-1750

Real, Imagined, Metaphorical

9789463728850

392 pages

Amsterdam University Press

Hardback $168.00

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Overview

Not since Edward Wood's Giants and Dwarfs published in 1868 has the subject been the focus of a scholarly study in English. Treating the topic afresh, this volume offers new insights into the vogue for giants and dwarfs that flourished in late-medieval and early modern Europe. From chapters dealing with the real dwarfs and giants in the royal and princely courts, to the imaginary giants and dwarfs that figured in the crafting of nationalistic and ancestral traditions, to giants and dwarfs used as metaphorical expression, scholars discuss their role in art, literature, and ephemeral display. Some essays examine giants and dwarfs as monsters and marvels and collectibles, while others show artists and writers emphasizing contrasts in scale to inspire awe or for comic effect. As these investigations reveal, not all court dwarfs functioned as jesters, and giant figures might equally be used to represent heroes, anti-heroes, and even a saint.

Author Bio

Robin O'Bryan (PhD) is an Art Historian focusing on issues related to popular culture in Italian Renaissance art, especially dwarfs. Her published articles have appeared in journals and anthologies including Games and Game Playing in Early Modern Art and Literature which she also edited for Amsterdam University Press. Felicia M. Else is Professor of Art History at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania. She has published on art, water, cartography, natural history, and festivals in 16th-century Florence and is the author of The Politics of Water in the Art and Festivals of Medici Florence: From Neptune Fountain to Naumachia.