Here Are 50 Perplexing Paintings Of The Middle Ages That'll Tickle Your Funny Bone

Medieval arts never fails to lift our spirits

Maryjane

• Published in Interesting
• September 9, 2024

The Middle Ages aren't just about epic battles and heroic knights. With the fall of Roman culture in the fifth century, the medieval era began and continued until the Renaissance.

The precise end date of the Middle Ages differs among the historians you speak with. According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, some scholars believe that the Renaissance began in the 13th century, while others contend that it started in the 14th or perhaps the 15th.

If there's one thing that never fails to lift our spirits, it's medieval art! It's vibrant, imaginative, wacky, and silly, and it shows how the artists had to use every ounce of their creative energy and stylistic skills to draw animals and monsters that they might or might not have seen with their own eyes.

The results? Often incredibly bizarre, but undeniably entertaining. We have gathered some of the best examples of odd medieval art from every corner of the internet.

We have also located some of the strangest representations of actual animals and mythological creatures to confound but still entertain you. So keep scrolling down to take a look at our collection.

1. That Owl Is Trying His Best

2. Medieval Frog

3. Looks Like A Demon. Kind Of Like Cats Are Now

4. Seems Like Lions Had More Character Back In The Day

5. This Leopard That's Clearly Distraught Over His Misrepresentation

6. Lion, England, 1390-1460

7. Medieval Paintings Of Cats Are Weird

8. This Elephant With A Tornado Trunk By Jacob Van Maerlant

9. Love Depictions Of Lions From Countries That Clearly Don't Have Lions

10. Hare Riding A Hound With A Trained Snail Of Prey, Before 1390

11. My Favorite Picture I Took At The Louvre. I Call It "Freaked Out Lion Is Getting His Nails Done"

12. Wild Cats In 15th Century, France

13. These Breathtaking Horses

14. Owl Fight By Godfrey Of Viterbo, Italy 13th Century

15. Medieval Garfield Looking For Lasagna

16. Adorable Bats

17. At Least They Tried To Depict A Frog

18. Medieval Monkeys Being Medieval Bros With A Medieval Kitten

19. This Beaver With A Fish Tail

20. Leopard, England, 13th Century

21. Weird Medieval Bat

22. Medieval Boar With Pants

23. Medieval Oyster

24. He Looks So Careless

25. Looks Like Pug Dog

26. This 15th Century Drawing Of A Greyhound Is An Undisputed Masterclass In Stylisation

27. Snails On A Ladder. France, Circa 1320

28. They Definitely Knew How A Dog Looked Like

29. A Dog Riding A Bunny Spear-Fighting A Bunny Who Is Riding A Snail With The Head Of Rick Rubin

30. Someone Getting An Elephant Shrew Described To Them?

31. An Elephant Protecting Her Baby From A Dragon, 14th Century

32. Lion, Belgium, 14th Century

33. This Owl With A Human Face

34. A Whale, 13th Century

35. A Chorus Line Of Camels

36. Someone Tried To Paint A Catfish

37. Cats' Life During Medieval Times

38. Medieval Goofy?

39. Elephants In Late 13th Century

40. If The Bear Is Brown, Lay Down. If It's Black, Fight Back. If It's White, Goodnight. And If It's Medieval, Climb The Smallest Tree Available, Totally Naked

41. Medieval Human Dogs

42. Lion, France, 15th Century

43. Wild Cats, 1485

44. Pigs vs. Elephants, France, 1420-1425

45. The Best Depiction Of Ants

46. Why Do Medieval Cats Look Like Fully Grown Adults?

47. A Snail By Jacob Van Maerlant

48. This Is Supposed To Be A Crocodile

49. From The Cover Of My Medieval Literature Textbook

50. Four Rats Rowing A Little Boat In The 14th Century France

In general, the dissolution of feudal systems, the emergence of secular education, the fortification of Italian city-states, and the establishment of national monarchy in England, France, and Spain were the events that marked the end of the Middle Ages. For inspiration, the Renaissance went all the way back to the classical era.

Which of these depictions from the Middle Ages was your favorite and which ones made you laugh? We eagerly await your opinions as you share this collection too!

Maryjane