Porcupines in Medieval and Renaissance Art

	Porcupines
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Pliny explains porcupines: THE Porkpens come out of India and Affricke: a kind of Urchin or Hedgehog they be: armed with pricks they be both; but the Porkpen hath the longer sharpe pointed quilles, and those, when he stretcheth his skin, he sendeth and shooteth from him: when the hounds presseth hard upon him, hee flyeth from their mouthes, and then taketh vantage to launce at them somewhat farther off. In the winter he lyeth hidden, as the nature is of many beasts to doe, and the Beares above the rest. Shakespeare references porcupines in two different plays; in The Comedy of Errors, he refers to an inn called the Porpentine, and the ghost of Hamlet's father (Hamlet I.v) moans, I could a tale unfold whose lightest word Would harrow up thy soul, freeze thy young blood, Make thy two eyes, like stars, start from their spheres, Thy knotted and combined locks to part And each particular hair to stand on end, Like quills upon the fretful porpentine Porcupines also appear in heraldry occasionally, including the arms of Louis XII. A porcupine, the sketchbook of Villard de Honnecourt (BNF Fr. 19093, fol. 24v), c. 1230 Porcupines on fols. 52r, 52v, Manāfiʻ-i ḥayavān (PML M.500), c. 1297-1300 And there ben also Urchounes, als grete as wylde Swyn here. Wee clepen hem Poriz de Spyne. The Travels of Sir John Mandeville A monkey hunts a porcupine, the Pontifical of Guillaume Durand (Bibl. Sainte-Geneviève 143, fol. 95), before 1390 Noah enters the Ark, Bible historiale (BNF Fr. 9, fol. 15), beginning of the 15th century Afghans hunting porcupines, Marco Polo's Book of Marvels (BNF Fr. 2810, fol. 18r), c. 1410-1412 A porcupine in the Hours of Charlotte of Savoy (M.1004, fol. 121v), c. 1420-1425 Porcupines on fols. 4r, 4v, 27v in the Hours of William Porter (PML M.105), c. 1420-1425 A porcupine in the Hours of Catherine of Cleves (PML M.917/945, p. 298), c. 1440 Suche men are lyche a beeste of Inde þat is clepyd a portepyn. Jacob's well A porcupine in the bas-de-page, The Decameron (BNF Fr. 129, fol. 1), 3rd quarter of the 15th century Caton of Utica, Faits des Romains (BNF Fr. 64, fol. 392v), c. 1460-1465 A porcupine, Llibre de Meravelles (BNF Fr. 189, fol. 55), c. 1470-1480 A porcupine that holds a banner, Jouvencel (BNF Fr. 192, fol. 131), before 1472 Allegory of the League of Cambrai, Abus du monde (PML M.42, fol. 49r), last quarter of the 15th century A porcupine, bible (Bibl. Mazarine 62, fol. 52v, fol. 325), last quarter of the 15th century Animals, De proprietatibus rerum (BNF Fr. 218), 4th quarter of the 15th century A porcupine in the bas-de-page, Ovid's Metamorphosis (BNF Fr. 137), before 1480 A porcupine, 'Adjâ'ib al-makhlûqât (BNF Supplément persan 1534, fol. 238v), c. 1480 A porcupine in the Kálmáncsehi-Liechtenstein codex (PML G.7, fol. 34r, fol. 1), 1481 Arms of Danain le Roux, Armorial of the Round Table (BNF Fr. 1437, fol. 31), end of the 15th century This men … wer alle ful of prikkes like to a portepyn. Pilgrimage of the Soul The heraldry of Danain le Roux, Noms, armes et blasons des chevaliers de la Table Ronde (PML M.16, fol. 15v), c. 1500 Detail from a tapestry with the body of St. Stephen exposed to beasts, c. 1500 The Arms of Louis XII, Petrarch's Trionfi (BNF Fr. 594, fol. 2v), 1503 Allegory of Quietude, 1510 A porcupine surrounded by other animals, c. 1530-1562 Porcupines, Oppian's Cynegetica (BNF Grec 2736, fol. 44v), c. 1540-1550 Envy rides a porcupine, 1552 Porcupines on fols. 46 and 95v, Oppian's Cynegetica (BNF Grec 2737), 1554 A porcupine in Icones animalium quadrupedum viviparorum et oviparorum by Conrad Gesner, 1560 The porcupine, De animalium proprietate (Auct. F. 4. 15, fol. 37r), 1564 Arms of Henry Sydney-Penshurst, Armorial of the Order of the Garter (BNF Fr. 14653, fol. 10v), 1572 Porcupine Hunt, 1578 Frieze with wild and tame animals, 1578 Emblems of François-Hercule de France (?) (BNF Latin 10564, fol. 6), 1582 Adam and Eve hide from the Lord, 1583 The Story of the First Men, 1583 The Agony in the garden, c. 1584 Portrait of Captain John Hunnynge wearing a cap with porcupine quills, 1585 Christ served by angels, 1593 The porcupine hunt with nets, 16th-17th century The Entry of the Animals into Noah's Ark by Jan Brueghel the Elder, 1613

Porcupines

Pliny explains porcupines:

THE Porkpens come out of India and Affricke: a kind of Urchin or Hedgehog they be: armed with pricks they be both; but the Porkpen hath the longer sharpe pointed quilles, and those, when he stretcheth his skin, he sendeth and shooteth from him: when the hounds presseth hard upon him, hee flyeth from their mouthes, and then taketh vantage to launce at them somewhat farther off. In the winter he lyeth hidden, as the nature is of many beasts to doe, and the Beares above the rest.

Shakespeare references porcupines in two different plays; in The Comedy of Errors, he refers to an inn called the Porpentine, and the ghost of Hamlet's father (Hamlet I.v) moans,

I could a tale unfold whose lightest word
Would harrow up thy soul, freeze thy young blood,
Make thy two eyes, like stars, start from their spheres,
Thy knotted and combined locks to part
And each particular hair to stand on end,
Like quills upon the fretful porpentine

Porcupines also appear in heraldry occasionally, including the arms of Louis XII.

A porcupine, the sketchbook of Villard de Honnecourt (BNF Fr. 19093, fol. 24v), c. 1230
Porcupines on fols. 52r, 52v, Manāfiʻ-i ḥayavān (PML M.500), c. 1297-1300

And there ben also Urchounes, als grete as wylde Swyn here. Wee clepen hem Poriz de Spyne.

The Travels of Sir John Mandeville

A monkey hunts a porcupine, the Pontifical of Guillaume Durand (Bibl. Sainte-Geneviève 143, fol. 95), before 1390
Noah enters the Ark, Bible historiale (BNF Fr. 9, fol. 15), beginning of the 15th century
Afghans hunting porcupines, Marco Polo's Book of Marvels (BNF Fr. 2810, fol. 18r), c. 1410-1412
A porcupine in the Hours of Charlotte of Savoy (M.1004, fol. 121v), c. 1420-1425
Porcupines on fols. 4r, 4v, 27v in the Hours of William Porter (PML M.105), c. 1420-1425
A porcupine in the Hours of Catherine of Cleves (PML M.917/945, p. 298), c. 1440

Suche men are lyche a beeste of Inde þat is clepyd a portepyn.

Jacob's well

A porcupine in the bas-de-page, The Decameron (BNF Fr. 129, fol. 1), 3rd quarter of the 15th century
Caton of Utica, Faits des Romains (BNF Fr. 64, fol. 392v), c. 1460-1465
A porcupine, Llibre de Meravelles (BNF Fr. 189, fol. 55), c. 1470-1480
A porcupine that holds a banner, Jouvencel (BNF Fr. 192, fol. 131), before 1472
Allegory of the League of Cambrai, Abus du monde (PML M.42, fol. 49r), last quarter of the 15th century
A porcupine, bible (Bibl. Mazarine 62, fol. 52v, fol. 325), last quarter of the 15th century
Animals, De proprietatibus rerum (BNF Fr. 218), 4th quarter of the 15th century
A porcupine in the bas-de-page, Ovid's Metamorphosis (BNF Fr. 137), before 1480
A porcupine, 'Adjâ'ib al-makhlûqât (BNF Supplément persan 1534, fol. 238v), c. 1480
A porcupine in the Kálmáncsehi-Liechtenstein codex (PML G.7, fol. 34r, fol. 1), 1481
Arms of Danain le Roux, Armorial of the Round Table (BNF Fr. 1437, fol. 31), end of the 15th century

This men … wer alle ful of prikkes like to a portepyn.

Pilgrimage of the Soul

The heraldry of Danain le Roux, Noms, armes et blasons des chevaliers de la Table Ronde (PML M.16, fol. 15v), c. 1500
Detail from a tapestry with the body of St. Stephen exposed to beasts, c. 1500
The Arms of Louis XII, Petrarch's Trionfi (BNF Fr. 594, fol. 2v), 1503
Allegory of Quietude, 1510
A porcupine surrounded by other animals, c. 1530-1562
Porcupines, Oppian's Cynegetica (BNF Grec 2736, fol. 44v), c. 1540-1550
Envy rides a porcupine, 1552
Porcupines on fols. 46 and 95v, Oppian's Cynegetica (BNF Grec 2737), 1554
A porcupine in Icones animalium quadrupedum viviparorum et oviparorum by Conrad Gesner, 1560
The porcupine, De animalium proprietate (Auct. F. 4. 15, fol. 37r), 1564
Arms of Henry Sydney-Penshurst, Armorial of the Order of the Garter (BNF Fr. 14653, fol. 10v), 1572
Porcupine Hunt, 1578
Frieze with wild and tame animals, 1578
Emblems of François-Hercule de France (?) (BNF Latin 10564, fol. 6), 1582
Adam and Eve hide from the Lord, 1583
The Story of the First Men, 1583
The Agony in the garden, c. 1584
Portrait of Captain John Hunnynge wearing a cap with porcupine quills, 1585
Christ served by angels, 1593
The porcupine hunt with nets, 16th-17th century
The Entry of the Animals into Noah's Ark by Jan Brueghel the Elder, 1613