Greek and Roman Mosaics -

Umberto Pappalardo, Rosaria Ciardiello

The Folio Society

2012

320 páginas

10h 40m

ISBN-13: 9780789211255

The frescoes and statues of the ancient world have crumbled or faded, but mosaics endure. This sumptuous new illustrated volume from Abbeville Press is the first full colour survey of the greatest classical mosaics, from Pompeii and Delos to Tunisia and Turkey. Presented in an exclusive slipcase, with over 300 illustrations and a lucid, informative text, this is a peerless guide to a beautiful medium.
Mosaics appear to have begun as decorative pavements, using natural black or white river pebbles, in the Minoan period. Later they evolved into more complex works of art that could require hundreds of workers to install. In the Roman world, where half the population was enslaved, the low cost of manpower allowed for the vast and extensive works we see today
The most varied medium of the ancient world

There is hardly any subject that is not represented by mosaics, from mythology to scenes of everyday life. Often the theme of a mosaic was chosen to match its setting. Dolphins and fish were featured in bath houses and fountains; country houses showed hunting scenes, and athletes and fighters decorated gymnasiums. Wealthy Romans often commissioned self-portraits; another popular subject was the ‘table ghost’, depicted in dining-rooms as a reminder that life was short.
A full chronological tour

In the first part of this volume, the authors reveal the amazing variety of the art form and all its different styles, workshops and techniques. The second part takes us on a dazzling chronological tour of the most important mosaic sites of the Greek and Roman worlds. They include Pella, capital of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia; the city of Alexandria, with its extraordinary depiction of Queen Berenice II, and Pergamon, home to Sosos, the most celebrated mosaicist of antiquity, whose Drinking Doves resembles an oil painting in its fine detail.
For many readers the high point of this book will be the section on Pompeii and Herculaneum. From the House of the Centaur, whose art was described by Pliny, to the House of Paquius Proculus with its ‘Beware of the Dog’ sign, these chapters provide an expert insight into one of the ancient world’s most remarkable sites.
A wide-ranging survey

This book does not confine itself to Greece and Rome: the sites it explores include Madaba in Jordan, and Ankhara and Constantinople in Turkey. North Africa has yielded more mosaics than any other area of the Roman empire, and a full chapter is devoted to Tunisia and its riches, ranging from a portrait of Virgil to the exquisite pavement depicting Neptune and the Four Seasons.
History and art in one magnificent account

In this breathtaking guide, art illuminates the past. The Greek island of Delos, a centre of the cult of Apollo, was razed in 88 BC, but its mosaics – the Houses of Dionysos, the Dolphins, the Masks and the Trident – survive as testament to the island’s rich culture. The Nile mosaics at Palestrina in Italy are evidence of the strong fascination that Egypt held for Romans at the time. The Basilica of San Vitale at Ravenna, with its glittering wall and vault mosaics, is a monument to the triumph of Christianity. Together these riches will delight every lover of history as well as anyone interested in classical art.
Presented in an exclusive illustrated slipcase

This magnificent publication is presented in a slipcased edition, exclusive to The Folio Society. The slipcase is printed on the front with an image of a mosaic from Stabiae depicting a boxer, and on the back with a mosaic from Tivoli depicting centaurs fighting wild beasts.