One rarely sees such an impressive volume that on first sight appears to be a beautiful coffee-table book, but is subsequently revealed to be a meticulous and scholarly study, illustrated by beautifully printed reproductions — 234 black-and-white illustrations with forty-four color plates. Alison Luchs presents a cross-sectional study of hybrid sea creatures from antiquity through the Middle Ages, concentrating on the transmission and proliferation of these images in Renaissance Venice, primarily in the decorative and monumental arts. An explicit assumption underlies the study, namely that hybrid sea creatures are ubiquitous in Venetian art as symbols of her dominion over the sea, and mermaids (sirens) are even cited as an image of the Serenissima itself. Nevertheless, the author does not neglect issues regarding the widespread use of such imagery in medieval and Renaissance art in general and discusses variously related iconographical interpretations. Especially noteworthy is the combination of research that concentrates on various media with issues of historical and cultural context and a wide range of iconographical problems.

Following a prologue on “The Heritage of Monsters,” the book is divided into five main chapters, “Tome,” “Tomb,” “Temple,” “Triumph,” and “Table.” The prologue introduces the visual and conceptual heritage, demonstrating that Venetian sea creatures owed much to the medieval transmission and adaption of examples from the ancient world, as in church decoration, illuminated manuscripts, and bestiaries, in which the Liber monstrorum (ca. 700) played an essential part. The symbolic value of hybrid creatures in Etruscan and Roman imagery, especially funerary sculpture, is related to Homer's account of Odysseus, which was crucial in the transmission of sirens to medieval literary and artistic traditions. A thorough review of the more recent literature on this subject is found in the text and references, with a comprehensive bibliography. Chapter 1 deals with “Marine Hybrids in Late Fifteenth-Century Book Decoration.” The author shows that, beginning with illuminations for printed books, primarily those issued by Jenson (1470–80), “hybrids stand out for their overwhelming number and iconographic relevance for their place of origin” (39). She addresses the question of their traditionally negative associations and suggests, for example, that marine hybrids could stand for the very concept of antiquity. Chapter 2 examines “Marine Hybrids on Venetian Funerary Monuments.” Tomb monuments by Pietro, Tullio, and Antonio Lombardo are analyzed to show how these creatures were “adapted to Christian beliefs in a form mediated through Venetian book decoration of the previous decade” (61). Chapter 3 focuses on the Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli, examining the hybrid's function in a church dedicated to the purity of Mary and the Immaculate Conception, with a beautiful series of photographs illustrating the mermaid and triton reliefs. Chapter 4, on “Marine Hybrids at the Centers of Power,” treating the Palazzo Ducale and Piazza San Marco flagstaff reliefs, is primarily descriptive and falls short of the intentions suggested by the title.

While the author's attempt to present a comprehensive cross-section of this theme is commendable, it inevitably results in some cursory references to fundamental iconographical problems. Sometimes ideas or theories are summarily reviewed while overemphasis is placed on the description of monuments. In those cases where Luchs relies entirely on references to, or compilations of, previous research, the present reader has felt that critical analysis is lacking. One example pertains to the embroidered siren emblem, with the motto Con Tempo, which is worn by a member of the Compagnia della Calza in Carpaccio's Healing of the Possessed Man (118). The identification of the object above the siren as a weathervane is repeated from another study. It is, in fact, a clock foliot, which has precedents in Venetian and Florentine painting in the context of temporal allegory (e.g., the clepsydra with foliot in Giorgione's Castelfranco frieze). One naturally wonders at the unique placement of this allegorical siren emblem, decorating a member of the Compagnia that organized Venetian festivals and presumably relating, in some way, to the theme of the sacred cross miracle depicted for the Scuola di San Giovanni Evangelista. Both the miracle and the moralistic emblem are disguised by their inconspicuous placement and their connection has yet to be explained. We might also note that Cesare Ripa later adopted the siren emblem as a symbol of Eternità in the Iconologia.

Overall, this volume is a unique contribution for students and scholars of art history, in general, and Venetian art history, in particular, beautifully demonstrating the popularity of classical hybrids and related mythological themes in various media and art forms. The comprehensive overview and stunning collection of illustrations, both unprecedented in this field, make this a valuable asset for further study. Last but not least, it is an eye-opener to the myriad details that are easily overlooked even by specialists of Venetian art and history.