Zoomorphic Decoration and the Problem of the Sources of Mozarabic Illumination

It is not the purpose here to discuss in a general way the remarkable paintings which appear in many of the Latin manuscripts made in Spain during the period extending approximately from the middle of the ninth to the end of the eleventh centuries. That the illuminations of these Mozarabic books are often works of art of high quality and should be studied more thoroughly as such goes without saying. But a number of technical problems remain to be solved; and it is with a single problem of this type that we will deal below — the question of the origin and character of the zoomorphic decorations in Mozarabic manuscripts. Only a partial solution will be presented; this is not a definitive study, and, indeed, further research may well result in modifications of our conclusions.