Pomegranate symbolism through the ages

Those of you that remember us agonizing about the minutae of agrobiodiversity iconography, to the extent of wondering if this

pomegranate.JPG

was indeed what it seemed to be, will rejoice with us that, with regards to pomegranates at least, we seem to have found the motherlode.

Pomegranates in Granada: Left by Rob via Flickr (Creative Commons); right by Jebulon via Wikimedia Commons (Creative Commons)
Pomegranates in Granada: Left by Rob via Flickr (Creative Commons); right by Jebulon via Wikimedia Commons (Creative Commons)

LATER: And then some.

LATER STILL: And then some more.

3 Replies to “Pomegranate symbolism through the ages”

  1. The real motherlode is a large-format illustrated book by Friedrich Muthmann, Der Granatapfel: Symbol des Lebens in der alten Welt. Bern, Schriften der Abegg-Stiftung im Verlag Office du livre, 1982.

  2. An interesting case of pomegranate depiction is the Meissen Zwiebelmuster (blue onion) and endless imitation thereof in porcelain manufacture. Lack of familiarity with pomegranates prompted interpretation of Chinese pomegranate motives as onions (Zwiebel).

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