Editing Tetramorph (section)

==The tetramorph in art==

===Representation and symbolism in Christianity===
[[File:KellsFol027v4Evang.jpg|thumb|The [[Four Evangelists]] as illustrated in the [[Book of Kells]], {{c.}} 800 AD.]]
{{main|Four Evangelists}}
The creatures of the tetramorph, as they appear in their animal forms, are predominantly shown as winged figures. The wings, an ancient symbol of divinity, represent the divinity of the Evangelists, the divine nature of Christ, and the virtues required for Christian salvation. <ref>Male, Emile. ''The Gothic Image: Religious Art in France of the Thirteenth Century''. HarperCollins, 1913, pp. 35-7.</ref> In regards to the depiction of St Mark in particular, the use of wings distinguish him from images of St Jerome, who is also associated with the image of a lion.<ref>Clement, Clara Erskine. ''Saints in Art''. Gale Research Company, 1974, p. 48.</ref>

The perfect human body of Christ was originally represented as a winged man, and was later adapted for St Matthew in order to symbolise Christ's humanity.<ref name="ReferenceC">Charbonneau-Lassay, Louis. ''The Symbolic Animals of Christianity''. Stuart & Watkins, 1970.</ref> In the context of the tetramorphs, the winged man indicates Christ's humanity and reason, as well as Matthew's account of the [[Incarnation (Christianity)|Incarnation of Christ]].<ref name="ReferenceD">Schuetz-Miller, Mardith K. “Survival of Early Christian Symbolism in Monastic Churches of New Spain and Visions of the Millennial Kingdom”. ''Journal of the Southwest''. 42.4 (2000): 763-800. Print.</ref> The lion of St Mark represents courage, resurrection, and royalty, coinciding with the theme of Christ as king in Mark's gospel. It is also interpreted as the [[Lion of Judah]] as a reference to Christ's royal lineage.<ref name="ReferenceD" /> The ox, or bull, is an ancient Christian symbol of redemption and life through sacrifice,<ref name="ReferenceC" /> signifying Luke's records of Christ as a priest and his ultimate sacrifice for the future of humanity. The eagle represents the sky, heavens, and the human spirit, paralleling the divine nature of Christ.<ref>”Symbols of the Four Evangelists in Christian Art”. ''Sacred Destinations''. {{cite web |url=http://www.sacred-destinations.com/reference/symbols-of-four-evangelists |title=Symbols of the Four Evangelists in History and Art |accessdate=2012-03-16 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301094315/http://www.sacred-destinations.com/reference/symbols-of-four-evangelists |archivedate=2012-03-01 }}.</ref>

In their earliest appearances, the Evangelists were depicted in their human forms each with a scroll or a book to represent the Gospels. By the 5th century, images of the Evangelists evolved into their respective tetramorphs.<ref name="ReferenceB" /> By the later Middle Ages, the tetramorph in the form of creatures was used less frequently. Instead, the Evangelists were often shown in their human forms accompanied by their symbolic creatures, or as men with the heads of animals.<ref>Tabon, Margaret. ''The Saints in Art''. Gale Research Company, 1969, p. 72.</ref>

In images where the creatures surround Christ, the winged man and the eagle are often depicted at Christ's sides, with the lion and the ox positioned lower by his feet, with the man on Christ's right, taking precedence over the eagle, and the lion to the left of the ox. These positions reflect the medieval [[great chain of being]].<ref>”Symbols of the Four Evangelists”. ''Sacred Destinations''. {{cite web |url=http://www.sacred-destinations.com/reference/symbols-of-four-evangelists |title=Symbols of the Four Evangelists in History and Art |accessdate=2012-03-16 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301094315/http://www.sacred-destinations.com/reference/symbols-of-four-evangelists |archivedate=2012-03-01 }}.</ref>

===Depictions in Christian art===

====Architecture====

The use of the tetramorph in architecture is most common in the decoration of Christian churches. On medieval churches, the symbols of the Evangelists are usually found above westerly-facing portals and in the eastern [[apse]], particularly surrounding the enthroned figure of [[Christ in Glory]] in scenes of the Last Judgment.<ref>"Symbols of the Four Evangelists". ''Sacred Destinations''. {{cite web |url=http://www.sacred-destinations.com/reference/symbols-of-four-evangelists |title=Symbols of the Four Evangelists in History and Art |accessdate=2012-03-16 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301094315/http://www.sacred-destinations.com/reference/symbols-of-four-evangelists |archivedate=2012-03-01 }}.</ref> This image of Christ in Glory often features Christ [[pantocrator]] in a [[Aureola|mandorla]] surrounded by the creatures of the tetramorph is often found on the spherical ceiling inside the apse, typically as a mosaic or fresco. Older [[Rome|Roman]] churches, such as [[Santa Pudenziana]] and [[Santa Maria in Trastevere]], mosaics often depict the four creatures in a straight line rather than in a circular formation.<ref name="ReferenceE">"Archangels and Evangelists". ''Paradox Palace''. {{cite web |url=http://www.paradoxplace.com/Church_Stuff/Archangels_Evangelists.htm |title=Archangels Evangelists |accessdate=2012-03-16 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120502133247/http://paradoxplace.com/Church_Stuff/Archangels_Evangelists.htm |archivedate=2012-05-02 }}.</ref>

Medieval churches also feature sculptures of bas-relief symbols of the Evangelists on western facades, externally around eastern apse windows, or as large statues atop apse walls.<ref name="ReferenceE" /> Generally all four creatures of the tetramorph will be found together in either one image or in one structure, but it is not unheard of to have a single Evangelist dominate the imagery of the church. This is usually found in cities that bear one of the Evangelists as their [[patron saint]]. A notable example is [[St Mark's Basilica]] in [[Venice]], where the winged lion is the city's mascot and St Mark is the city's patron saint.

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File:Apsis_mosaic_San_Clemente.jpg|12th-century apse mosaic from [[Basilica di San Clemente]] in [[Rome]].
File:San_Marco_cathedral_in_Venice.JPG|Detail of the rooftop of San Marco cathedral in Venice.
File:Chartres2006_092.jpg|Central portal of [[Chartres Cathedral]] in [[Chartres]].

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====Painting and manuscript illumination====

Most illuminated [[Gospel book]]s were prefaced with [[Evangelist portrait]]s, often combined on a single page. [[Insular art|Insular]] manuscripts were very focused on abstract linear patterns that combined Mediterranean, [[Anglo-Saxon art|Anglo-Saxon]] and [[Celtic art|Celtic]] influences, the latter mostly traceable from surviving metalwork. The artists of the period were initially more comfortable with images of animals than humans, so in early [[Gospel Book]]s the Evangelists were represented as tetramorphic symbols rather than portraits. Their preferences for abstract, geometric, and stylized art led to a lot of differences in portrayals of the tetramorphs. Celtic artists would paint the creatures in a relatively realistic fashion, or their divine nature would be emphasised through the inclusion of wings or human traits, such as hands in place of talons or the animal standing upright.<ref>''Visual Arts Cork'', [http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/cultural-history-of-ireland/illuminated-manuscripts.htm ”Irish Illuminated Manuscripts”]</ref>

The Evangelists and tetramorphs were highly featured in [[Ottonian art|Ottonian]] manuscripts as the Gospel books, [[pericopes]], and the Apocalypse were most popular. While they imitated the [[Byzantine]] artistic style, [[Carolingian art|Carolingian]] illuminations consciously revived the [[Early Christian art and architecture|early Christian style]], and was much more elaborate than Celtic or Insular art.

For most illuminated manuscript portraits, the Evangelist typically occupied a full page. Though numerous examples of [[Late Antiquity|Late Antique]] portraits featured each figure in a standing position, the Evangelists were predominantly depicted in a seated position at a writing desk or with a book or scroll, both in reference to the Gospels. The symbols of the tetramorphs were most common in the Middle Ages until the [[Romanesque art|Romanesque]] period before they fell out of favour and images of the Evangelists in their human forms became more common. However, the tetramorphs were still used and were found in artwork of the [[Renaissance]] and even in [[modern art]]. A notable 20th century example is the massive tapestry by Graham Sutherland which hangs in Coventry Cathedral.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christ_in_Glory_tapestry_by_Graham_Sutherland_in_Coventry_Cathedral.jpg|title=English: The Christ in Glory tapestry by Graham Sutherland, installed in Coventry Cathedral in 1962. The tapestry, which measures 75 feet by 38 feet (23 m x 11.5 m), is said to be the largest one-piece tapestry in the world.&#91;1&#93;|date=4 February 2018}}</ref>
<gallery>
File:EchternachGospelsLionImage.GIF|St Mark as the lion as depicted in the [[Echternach Gospels]], c. 800, Hiberno-Saxon.
File:Karolingischer_Buchmaler_um_820_001.jpg|Illumination of the four Evangelists with their symbols, c. 820, Carolingian.
File:BambergApocalypseFolio047vJubilationOverFallOfBabylon.JPG|Christ and the tetramorphs in the [[Bamberg Apocalypse]], c. 1000, Ottonian.
File:Meister_aus_Tahull_001.jpg|[[Apse of Sant Climent de Taüll|Christ surrounded by the Evangelists]], c. 1123, Romanesque fresco.
File:AberdeenBestiaryFolio004vChristInMajesty.jpg|[[Christ in Majesty]] from the [[Aberdeen Bestiary]], c. 12th century, manuscript illumination.
File:Stundenbuch_der_Maria_von_Burgund_Wien_cod._1857_Der_Evangelist_Lukas.jpg|St Luke in [[Hours of Mary of Burgundy|The Hours of Mary of Burgundy]], c. 1477, Northern Renaissance manuscript illumination.
File:Raffael_099.jpg|''[[Ezekiel's Vision (Raphael)|Ezekiel’s Vision]]'' by [[Raphael]], c. 1518, Renaissance painting.
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===Other depictions===
The tetramorph of the four [[living creatures (Bible)|living creatures]] is depicted on the [[The World (Tarot card)|World card]] of many [[tarot]] decks, including the [[Tarot of Marseilles]] and the [[Rider-Waite tarot deck]]. It is also depicted in some [[Islamic art]].
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File:Jean Dodal Tarot trump 21.jpg|The [[The World (Tarot card)|World card]] from the Jean Dodal [[Tarot of Marseille]] deck (1701–1715)
File:05 L'Homme et Les Quadrupedes - H. Pussey Grand Etteilla Tarot Deck.jpg|The World card from the Grand [[Etteilla]] tarot deck (circa 1890)
File:RWS Tarot 21 World.jpg|The World card from the [[Rider-Waite tarot deck]] (1909)
File:Muhammad ibn Muhammad Shakir Ruzmah-'i Nathani - The First Two of the Four Carriers of the Firmament (Animal and Angelic) - Walters W65943A - Full Page.jpg|This folio from Walters manuscript W.659 depicts the first 2 of the 4 carriers of the firmament (ox and man).
File:Muhammad ibn Muhammad Shakir Ruzmah-'i Nathani - The Second Two Carriers of the Firmament (Lion and Vulture) - Walters W65943B - Full Page.jpg|This folio from Walters manuscript W.659 depicts the second 2 carriers of the firmament (lion and vulture).
File:Wonders of creation manuscript angel image.png|Illustration of angel with lion, ox, and eagle from ''[[ʿAjā'ib al-makhlūqāt wa gharā'ib al-mawjūdāt]]'' circa 1650
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