Seeing pink elephants

Medieval miniatures are filled with amazing creatures. Sirens, dragons, unicorns and other fantastic creatures decorate the pages of many manuscripts.

This rich imaginary world draws inspiration from stories and legends, but also from religion or ancient mythology. It translates the dreams and fears of an era, while at the same time showing an attraction for everything that is forbidden, mysterious or wild.

Exotic fantasies

Although the existence of distant lands is known in the 15th century, they are envisioned as not known well. The stories of travelers open a door to what exists elsewhere, but leave a lot of freedom to the imagination and for guesswork …

This explains why we find strange looking elephants or giraffes next to many other creatures, such as dog-headed men and centaurs, in medieval manuscripts.

Discover the fantastic universe of the medieval imaginary world in the KBR museum.

Get to know the KBR museum through a series of facts that take you back to the time of the Burgundian dukes. Discover the knowledge hidden in the manuscripts of their library and learn more about the themes in the museum.

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