Monsters: From the Corners of the Earth to Under Your Bed

The exhibit Monsters: From the Corners of the Earth to Under Your Bed: Images from Rare Books (1210-1610) is presented by the students of Demons and Dragons, Warriors and Witches: Monstrous Figures in the German Cultural Tradition (German 3910, Spring 2024). The exhibit features illustrations and stories from Tulane University Libraries’ Rare Books and beyond.

The physical exhibit is on display through the Summer of 2024.

Opening Reception: Tuesday, April 30th, 2024 from 2 to 3:15pm in Howard-Tilton Memorial Library, 6th Floor.

The Banner Image is a selection from St. Martha: Martha Taming the Tarasque in the Hours of Henry VIII as illuminated by Jean Poyer. From the collections of The Morgan Library & Museum.

Duration: April 30 - August 2024

Curated By: Students of GERM 3910 (Spring 2024) and Elio Brancaforte

Location: Howard-Tilton Memorial Library, 6th Floor Exhibits

Acknowledgements: Our heartfelt thanks to the professors, historians, and archivists whose dedication to the dark corners of cultural history has made this journey possible. Special thanks to Professor Brancaforte, Lisa Hooper, Agnieszka Czeblakow and Sean Knowlton for their invaluable aid and contribution to this exhibit.

Exhibit Sections
Exhibit Materials
Aldrovandi, “Monstrous Whale”
Albrecht Dürer
The Alexander Master, “The Three Temptations of Christ in the Desert by Satan”
Anonymous, “Alexander the Great”
Anonymous, “Iskandar builds a wall against Gog and Magog”
Anonymous, “Satan in the Inferno”
Conrad Gessner
Elisha ben Abraham Cresques, “Siren” from The Catalan Atlas
Hans Baldung Grien, “Witches Sabbath”
Hartmann Schedel’s Liber Chronicarum
Lorenz Fries, “Cannibals on the Caribbean Island”
Olaus Magnus, “Sea Pig”
Martin Luther “The Defeat of Satan”
Sebastian Münster “Sea Monsters and Fantastical Beasts”
Stimmer and Fischart, “Jonah and the Whale”
Wolfram von Eschenbach “The Berner Parzival”
Wolfram von Eschenbach, “Gawain”