Greek And Roman Mosaics

By (author) Umberto Pappalardo; By (author) Pappalardo Umberto
Short description/annotation
Umberto Pappalardo presents the best-illustrated survey of a spectacular ancient art, now available in an affordable edition.
Description
The best-illustrated survey of a spectacular ancient art, now available in an affordable edition
Mosaic has been called “painting for eternity,” and it is in fact one of the few arts of antiquity to survive in something like its original condition and variety. Mosaic pavements with geometric and figural motifs first appeared in Greece at the end of the fifth century BC and subsequently spread throughout the classical world, from the palaces of emperors and kings to even relatively modest private homes. Across the Mediterranean, local workshops cultivated many distinctive regional styles, while travelling teams of Hellenistic craftsmen produced figural mosaics of stunning refinement, often modelled after famous paintings; indeed, their work constitutes one of our only records of classical Greek painting, which has been almost entirely lost. The styles and techniques of the ancient mosaicist’s art are given a concise yet authoritative exposition in the first part of this handsome volume.

The second, and larger, part conducts the reader on a chronologically ordered tour of the most important centres of the art form’s development, from the Macedonian capital of Pella, whose compositions in natural pebbles set a high artistic standard for mosaics at the beginning of their history, to the Basilica of San Vitale at Ravenna, whose wall and vault mosaics, with their glittering vision of a triumphant Christianity, mark the transition between antiquity and the Middle Ages. Special attention is given to Pompeii and its surroundings, where the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 preserved intact an astonishing variety of mosaics, including such ambitious figural scenes as the famous Alexander Mosaic, composed of some four million miniscule tesserae, as well as characteristically Roman pavements in black and white, and the brightly coloured wall mosaics of garden grottoes.Featuring more than 230 vibrant photographs, many newly commissioned, Greek and Roman Mosaics is the first survey of its subject to be illustrated in full colour. It will be an essential visual reference for every student of classical antiquity, and a source of considerable delight for art lovers.
Table of contents
Introduction 7 The Origins and Spread of Mosaics 11 Etymological Considerations 15 The Method of Execution 17 Pliny and Vitruvius on Mosaics 21 Types of Mosaic 25 The Mosaicists and Their Signatures 35 Workshops and Repertories 46 The Dating of Mosaics 48 Mosaics and Textiles 51 Mosaics and Architecture 53 Wall and Vault Mosaics 55 The Stylistic Development of Mosaics 56 The Iconography of Mosaics 77 THE MOSAICS Pella 99 Alexandria 110 Pergamon 115 Delos 121 Palestrina 125 The House of the Faun at Pompeii 135 The Alexander Mosaic 153 The Mosaic from the House of the Faun 167 Other Notable Dwellings of Pompeii 171 Nymphaea of the Vesuvius Cities 197 Mosaic Fountains of Campania 223 The Villa Adriana at Tivoli 231 The Musee National du Bardo, Tunis 243 Antioch on the Orontes 250 Piazza Armerina 255 The Basilica of Junius Bassus in Rome 275 The Great Palace of Constantinople 285 The Basilica of San Vitale at Ravenna 289 The Mosaic of the Holy Land at Madaba 300 Bibliography 303 Index of Names 313 Index of Places 317 Photography Credits 320
Biographical note
Umberto Pappalardo has served as Inspector of Excavations at Pompeii and Director of Excavations at Herculaneum, and is professor of classical archaeology at Suor Orsola Benincasa University in Naples. He is the author of numerous publications, including monographs on Roman frescoes, Greek and Roman theaters, and the history of the Bay of Naples.
Rosaria Ciar