The Book of the Usefulness of Animals

Of the Utility of Animals

A bestiary is a medieval fable, which allegorically connects the moralizing characteristics, real or supposed, of animals as well as mythical creatures with the Christian doctrine of salvation. Bestiaries belong among the most beloved manuscripts of the Middle Ages and were often richly illustrated. A particularly enchanting example of this literary genre is the 1354 work by the Mamluk Ibn Al-Durayhim Al-Mawsili. His work bears the title Of the Utility of Animals and described a large assortment of domestic and wild animals. 91 exciting illustrations on gold backgrounds, which the scribe himself made, illustrate his achievements.

A Unique Document

The book Of the Utility of Animals is a collection of texts, in which the most varied kinds of animals are described and classified. The work is of unusual historical worth, because it is one of the only a few surviving illuminated codices from the Mamluk period of book art. Additionally, it is the only manuscript from this art-historical epoch that can be dated to a concrete time of origin and which can be attributed to a well-known author. It is an astounding masterpiece and one of the few pieces of evidence remaining of oriental art whose fame in the western world endured into modernity.

Francis of Assisi and Animals

The treatise by Ibn Al-Durayhim Al-Mawsili was combined with the Legenda Maior: The Life of Saint Francis of Assisi. The connection between Francis of Assisi and animals is best clarified by two special legends. The first legend is the tale of the bird sermon. Francis sees a large flock of birds, he walks among them and speaks to them. In his sermon he says: “My brother and sister birds, you should praise your Creator and always love him: He gave you feathers for clothes, wings to fly and all other things that you need.” The second legend is the Tale of the wolf of Gubbio. Assisi reconciles the city of Gubbio with a wolf, which is always preying on its people. Francis mediates, and the wolf stops its attacks in exchange for the promise that the citizens of Gubbio will feed it. Francis of Assisi considered all of God’s creatures to be his brothers and sisters, for that reason he is known as the patron saint of animals and the environment.

Precious Illumination

The miniatures in Of the Utility of Animals are drawn in a particularly-enchanting manner. It is the earliest example of miniatures depicted in a precious gold leaf technique from the orient. The pictures show animals in typical and realistic poses. At the same time, the animals were enshrined in a background of glimmering gold. Every miniature is a small, standalone work of art, which still astounds its beholders centuries later.