基本説明
New in paperback. Hardcover was published in 1999. Mosaics reached their fullest development under the Romans, who used them to decorate the floors of their houses and public buildings. This book gives a comprehensive history of mosaic in the Greek and Roman world.
Full Description
This book provides a comprehensive account of mosaics in the ancient world from the early pebble mosaics of Greece to the pavements of Christian churches in the East. Separate chapters in Part I cover the principal regions of the Roman Empire in turn, in order to bring out the distinctive characteristics of their mosaic workshops. Questions of technique and production, of the role of mosaics in architecture, and of their social functions and implications are treated in Part II. The book discusses both well-known works and recent finds, and balances consideration of exceptional masterpieces against standard workshop production. Two main lines of approach are followed throughout: first, the role of mosaics as a significant art form, which over an unbroken span illuminates the evolution of pictorial style better than any comparable surviving medium; and secondly, their character as works of artisan production closely linked to their architectural context.
Contents
Introduction; Part I. Historical and Regional Development: 1. Origins and pebble mosaics; 2. The invention of tessellated mosaics: Hellenistic mosaics in the east; 3. Hellenistic mosaics in Italy; 4. Mosaics in Italy: Republican and Imperial; 5. The north-western provinces; 6. Britain; 7. The North African provinces; 8. Sicily under the Empire: Piazza Armerina; 9. The Iberian peninsula; 10. Syria and the east; 11. Palestine and Transjordan; 12. Greece: the Imperial period; 13. Asia Minor, Cyprus, Constantinople; 14. Wall and vault mosaics; 15. Opus sectile; Part II. Technique and Production: 16. Craftsmen and workshops; 17. Techniques and procedures; 18. The repertory; 19. Architectural context and function; 20. The patrons; Conclusions; Maps; Glossary of ornamental patterns; General glossary.
