The Cat in Art [Hardcover]

Stefano Zuffi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2007

The Cat in Art is both full of surprises and hauntingly familiar, as cats play and pounce and sleep and purr their way through 170 great art masterpieces from the ancient world to the present. What cats represent to us in life, they bring to art: elegance and grace; domestic tranquility; symbols of sensuality and mischievousness.

Here are paintings by Van Eyck, Raphael, Leonardo, Bruegel, Rembrandt, Chardin, Gainsborough, Manet, Renoir, Bonnard, Gauguin, Matisse, Balthus, Picasso, Warhol, and many others. Sometimes the cats are the stars of the work, and sometimes they are working their magic from the corners of rooms—in which case both the whole work and a detail showing the cat are illustrated.

Stefano Zuffi’s charming text tells the reader what it all means, from the feline goddesses of the ancients, to the devilish cats of the Middle Ages, to the indispensable companions of our own time.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The cat is an animal of a "thousand faces," observes art historian Zuffi in this grand tour of the cat's various artistic incarnations. Graceful, devious, playful, luxuriating, fierce, affectionate, petulant, and aloof--in short, domestic without being domesticated--the cat has inspired artists for centuries. As Zuffi informatively and entertainingly traces the cat's evolution from deity to witch's familiar, an emblem of wholesome bliss to a rapacious hunter, a figure of comic relief to a model of poise and serenity, he presents uncommonly reproduced works by artists famous and less familiar, creating a unique feline portrait gallery replete with Roman mosaics, French illuminated manuscripts, Dutch interiors, Renaissance paintings, Japanese prints, imaginative works by Picasso and Klee, and sensual paintings by Gauguin. Cat lovers will delight in the many variations on the cat theme, while Zuffi's lively mix of aesthetics, history, lore, and interpretation turns the cat into a lithe guide to art history. Pair this volume with Best in Show: The Dog in Art from the Renaissance to Today (2006). Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Stefano Zuffi is an art historian who specializes in Renaissance and Baroque painting. He has written numerous popular books about art and artists, including Abrams’ Art in Venice (1999). He lives in Milan.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 360 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (April 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810993287
• ISBN-13: 978-0810993280
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 9.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #234,704 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #11 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Animals > Cats, Lions & Tigers
  • #71 in Books > Arts & Photography > Painting > Landscape

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An illustrated portrait of the cat in society, May 28, 2007

By 

Jeff Abell (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Cat in Art (Hardcover)

I have to admit, I know this book from its French edition, that I acquired at the Louvre in Paris. But assuming the English version stays true to the version I have (it was originally written in Italian), then this is a thoroughly enjoyable volume. More than just another book of cute pictures of cats (which is not to say that's a bad thing) this book is actually an overview of the changing place of the cat in society, as demonstrated by the leading artists of the day. An engaging study in changing iconography, we can trace how the cat changed from devil's "familiar" in the Middle Ages to the protector of the home (by killing rats and mice) as shown in beautifuly reproduced works of art from the world's major museums. Zuffi is an engaging writer and scholar who has provided us with a lvoely and entertaining portrait of the cat.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FOR CAT LOVERS AND ART AFICIONADOS, June 18, 2007

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Cat in Art (Hardcover)

Who can resist a soft, furry, inscrutable, playful, endearing cat? Not many. Especially not artists throughout the ages whose works have been gathered in this fascinating volume by art historian Stefano Zuffi. He describes the cat's important place in culture and art, literature and fable as follows:" True to its nature, it rarely emerges as a protagonist: more often than not, we must look closely to detect its presence. However, this presence, especially in painting, is never a banal one. It has been given a rich variety of symbolic meanings, so much so that we can almost read them across centuries of masterpieces - a sort of history of art with whiskers and a tail, full of surprises."

Thus begins our journey with the cat from antiquity and the Egyptian Goddess Bastet to the modern feline as found in contemporary portrayals. In the Middle Ages we sometimes find the timeless game of cat and mouse as carved in French cathedral choir stalls or in the Lutrell Psalter, an illuminated manuscript now seen in London's British Library.

Later we find the cat in paintings by such beloved artists as Annibale Carracci, Tintoretto, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Jan Van Eyck. The latter places him at the birth of John the Baptist, while a drawing by Da Vinci offers numerous studies of cats.

Richly illustrated with over 250 color images "The Cat In Art" is a sumptuous volume chronicling the works of artists who have been entranced by this affecting creature.

- Gail Cooke

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great gift for a cat lover!, January 19, 2008

By 

Kitty Cat (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cat in Art (Hardcover)

This book covers cats in art from Egyptian to modern times. Lovely color photos with a history of the paintings or sculptures. A very well done art book for cat fanciers!