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Ever tried to paint a cat? It turns out that it’s not as easy as you might expect. It indeed wasn’t for these Medieval artists anyway! While they excelled at painting religious scenes, portraits of Royalty, and naked ladies, this particular type of pussy offered an altogether different challenge.
There are a couple of reasons why these funny cats look as they do in the Medieval art depictions. One of them is that the primary purpose of these paintings was to translate the religious scripts to the illiterate (bear in mind that there were relatively few people who could read - monks, priests, and the nobility), and the other, unnecessary details weren't so scrupulously painted.
On the other hand, linear perspective, giving a painting depth, was not systemized until the Italian Renaissance. That's why the given ugly cats look so flat and slightly misshapen.
While most of them have got the basic shape of a feline down to a reasonable tee in these cat illustrations, it is the face that seems to provide the biggest problem. Instead of the cute kitten features we all know and love, the artists instead appear to favor a grim, almost human-like look that makes these cat paintings look a bit, well, scary. I guess the drawings do prove, though, that we have been obsessed with sharing cat memes since way before the internet!
Scroll down to check out the list of Medieval funny cat memes compiled by Bored Panda below, and don’t forget to vote for your favorites!
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#1
Yeah... Fish Is Not Gonna Work, You'll Have To Try Harder
Magpie 6 years ago
Ask away, we shall attempt to answer by making up funny stories ;)
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Kat Weasel 6 years ago
'Flaisch macht flaisch' (flesh begets flesh) in this drawing means people having sex results in having babies. The nun in this drawing is being mocked for wanting to have sex and/or a child, neither of which she's allowed to have since she's a nun.
Patricia Rix 6 years ago
Really interesting commentary & comments here: https://vulgarcrowd.wordpress.com/2015/10/19/the-naughty-nun-a-raunchy-woodcut-from-1555/
#2
Done With Life
#3
What A Cutie
#4
White Cat
#5
Melancholic Cat Plays The Lyre
#6
Cat With Eyebrows
#7
Hey Cat. Stop Licking Your Butt On The Book Of Maccabees Or You’ll Get An Arrow
Agnes Jekyll 6 years ago
Genius. I hope the guy who drew her got a good long laugh--all the way to his next 7-year transcription
#8
The True King
#9
This Must Be A Cat From The Hallucinogenic Meadows Of Scotland
#10
This Cat Is Starring Into Your Soul
#11
I Know I Don't Want To Know What These Two Just Saw
#12
This Bathing Cat
stellermatt 6 years ago
Yeah Frank, I'm taking a bath, so what?! paint a picture, it'll last longer! oh...
#13
The Cat You Cannot Unsee
#14
I Want To Have Whatever That Cat Is Having
#15
Look At Those Lovely Eyes
#16
Casual Cat Life
#17
This Bishop Cat
#18
Medieval Cheshire Cat
#19
Is This A Cat, A Dog Or A Boar?
#20
The One And Only Love
#21
Cat Rider
#22
Defiant Cat Riding A Horse
#23
I Has Mowse
#25
Snailcat
#26
Zombie Petting A Cat
#27
This Looks Like A Lizard Pretending To Be A Cat
#28
Catnip Trip
#29
Magpie Inspecting The Cat’s Butt
#31
Medieval OMG Cat
#32
Wild Cats
Jef Bateman 6 years ago
I think they are weasels. I thought that the one in the tree was the body of one turned into some abominable object of worship at first, but it is a weasel getting some bird eggs.
#33
Because Why Shouldn't A Cat Be Playing A Stringed Instrument?
#34
Cat Churning Butter
#35
Cats’ Habits
#36
Bipedal Cat Monsters Eating A Leech?
#37
That Kitten Is Not... Ok
#38
A Feline With The Blues
#39
I Can Has A Spindle?
#40
Cloaked And Flower-Tailed Feline
#41
Queen Cat And A Monkey Pope Tripping Balls?
#42
Monkey Hugging A Kitten - No Wonder The She Took It As Her Own
Jef Bateman 6 years ago
Why do they put so many monkeys with the cats? Is it because monkeys used to be common as pets?
#43
Medieval Cat Or The Ouroboros? 'Tis The Catouroboros
#44
Alien Cat
#45
White Cat
#46
Winged Cross-Eyed Kitteh
#47
Butt Licking Cat
#48
He Hates Meeces To Pieces
#49
Classic Cat And Mouse Relationship
#50
Hudy-Gurdy Cat
#51
Someone Please Take That Kitten Out Of It's Misery
#53
The King Of The Cats... Or Maybe Demons That Went Through A Food Processor?
#54
Initial Cat
#55
Drumming Cat
KismetTheFox 6 years ago
Yo listen up here’s a story... Bout a little guy that’s blue, inside and outside Blue his house, with a blue little window
#56
Marginal Kitten
#57
Devil And The Cat Worshippers Kissing The Cat’s Butt
#58
Kissing A Cat
#59
Mouse Holder
#60
Keyboard Cat
Add New Image
What do you think ?
Jef Bateman 6 years ago
I always wonder, though, what people in the future will think about Garfield. He doesn't exactly look like a cat either, but he fits into the stylistic aesthetic of our age. Maybe these are just medieval Garfields.
Lisby Lanser 6 years ago
Maybe all the munks/painters where just having fun, thinking about how we would énterprit the paintings 1000 years later.... I love your theory :)
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Zori the degu 6 years ago
They didn't have a talent for drawing any kind of animals really. Especially felines! Just go to a random church and look at some of the lions drawn on the walls.
Agnes Jekyll 6 years ago
Who knew there were so many cats in medieval manuscripts. Now someone do all the monkeys.
Gale Langseth 6 years ago
Okay, these cats don't all look like what we know as cats today. But look at it this way: these were monks painting these cats, and living in remote spots with other men didn't give these artists many opportunities to find out what pussies looked like. Oh! No! Pussy _cats_!
LisaMarie Oliver 6 years ago
I actually really want to get a tattoo leg sleeve of medieval cat paintings but im afraid the tattooist will be rediculed
Jef Bateman 6 years ago
I always wonder, though, what people in the future will think about Garfield. He doesn't exactly look like a cat either, but he fits into the stylistic aesthetic of our age. Maybe these are just medieval Garfields.
Lisby Lanser 6 years ago
Maybe all the munks/painters where just having fun, thinking about how we would énterprit the paintings 1000 years later.... I love your theory :)
Load More Replies... Zori the degu 6 years ago
They didn't have a talent for drawing any kind of animals really. Especially felines! Just go to a random church and look at some of the lions drawn on the walls.
Agnes Jekyll 6 years ago
Who knew there were so many cats in medieval manuscripts. Now someone do all the monkeys.
Gale Langseth 6 years ago
Okay, these cats don't all look like what we know as cats today. But look at it this way: these were monks painting these cats, and living in remote spots with other men didn't give these artists many opportunities to find out what pussies looked like. Oh! No! Pussy _cats_!
LisaMarie Oliver 6 years ago
I actually really want to get a tattoo leg sleeve of medieval cat paintings but im afraid the tattooist will be rediculed
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