MOSAIC HISTORY: Italy:
01026 THE ALEXANDER MOSAIC, Stories of Victory and Defeat £45.00
A Cohen, Cambridge U P, 1997, 279pp, 81 b&w + 14 colour illus, cloth
An in-depth study of the art and history of this famous 1st century BC Roman mosaic and its origins in Greek art of the 4th century BC.
01071 APELLES: THE ALEXANDER MOSAIC £26.00
Paolo Moreno, Skira, Editore, Italy, 2001, English edition, 135pp, 70 b & w illus + 22 colour plates, cloth
This book seeks to re-evaluate one of the most famous mosaics of Roman times, which has been the subject of heated debate as to its original inspiration The mosaic has been photographed in close detail which has enabled a new hypothesis as to its origin to be formulated by the author. A fascinating account, even if you disagree!
04047 DECORATIVE FLOORS OF VENICE £35.00
Tudy Sammartini, Merrell, 2000, 208pp, over 230 large-scale colour illus, cloth
A visual treat! Breathtaking photographs of the mosaic, opus sectile and terrazzo floors of Venice both ancient and modern. The floors are left to speak for themselves apart from an introduction, minimal but authoritative text and a guide to where the floors can be seen.
04059 LA “DOMUS DEI TAPETI DI PIETRA”, Il Complesso Archeologico di via D’Azeglio £45.00
Giovanna Montevecchi, RavennAntica/Longo Editore, Italy, 2004, Italian and English full texts, 136 colour illus, many coloured monochrome plans, large paperback
What a refreshing book - an archaeology volume with colour illustrations and what excellent ones they are! This is the definitive study of the mosaics and archaeology of the ‘House of the Stone Carpets’ in Ravenna. The English translation is first-rate too!
04060 DOMUS DEL TRICLINIO £19.50
Various authors, Ravennarte, Italy, 2004, full Italian and English texts, 174pp, 94 colour illus + some b & w and a number of maps and plans, paperback
Essentially a guide book to this wonderful Roman building which has a number of mosaics and opus sectile pavements in situ. Also describes and illustrates other finds from the site.
08016 HARDSTONES, The Gilbert Collection £37.50
Anna M Massinelli, P Wilson, 2000, 288pp, 200 colour + 50 mono illus, cloth
Hardstone mosaic was a technique developed during the 16th century in parallel with the revival of Roman mosaics. Complex images were created from a matrix of coloured marbles and semi-precious stones cut with incredible precision. This major work discusses the techniques involved and assesses the collection in detail. See also 1357 below.
09017 ITALIAN PAVEMENTS, PATTERNS IN SPACE £35.00
Kim Williams, Anchorage, USA, 1997, 176pp, 60 colour plates + 117 b&w illus, cloth
For many centuries, geometric pavements (opus sectile) of marble and stone have been a feature of Italian buildings and this book documents a selection of these floors up to the modern day. The design of each floor is analysed and studied both as a pattern and as part of the overall design of the building. An unusual and fascinating book!
09030 THE INSULA OF THE MENANDER AT POMPEII, Vol II: The Decorations £175.00
Roger & Lesley Ling, Oxford University Press, 2005, 400pp, numerous colour and b & w illustrations, 176 figures, hardback, dustwrapper.
This is the second of five volumes on the city block of the Menander at Pompeii, an area renowned for the grandeur of its architecture. Many of the buildings were richly decorated with wall-paintings and mosaics and this Volume covers these decorations in full for the first time. Its importance lies in the fact that it covers the whole block, not just isolated houses enabling the reader to look at questions of chronology, iconography, taste and social differences within a particular neighbourhood of the city.
12008 UN LACERTO IN OPUS SECTILE dalle Domus di via D’Azeglio a Ravenna £17.50
Various authors, Angelo Longo, Italy, 1995, 136pp, fully illus in colour and b&w, paperback
Excavation and conservation of an important opus sectile floor from Ravenna.
13024 I MOSAICI DEL PERIODO NORMANNO IN SICILIA, V: Il Duomo di Monreale.I Mosaici delle Navate £50.00
Ernst Kitzinger, Instituto Siciliano di Studi Bizantini, Sicily, 1997, Italian text, 70pp text + 396 b&w plates on loose sheets in cloth folder/folio case
A detailed study of the famous mosaics at Monreale, superbly illustrated.
13029 IL MOSAICI DI VIA D’AZEGLIO IN RAVENNA £22.50
M Marini Calvini & M G Maioli, Angelo Longo, Italy, 1995, 104pp, 100 illus in colour and b&w, paperback
A beautifully illustrated study of the mosaics from a Roman villa in Ravenna.
13047 I MOSAICI PAVIMENTALI DI CASTIONE MARCHESI £9.95
R F Campanati, Girasole, 1988, Italian text, 45pp, 15 b&w illus, paperback
An interesting floor dating in part from 1115 AD.
13048 I MOSAICI PAVIMENTALI DELLA CHIESA DI S. GIOVANNI EVANGELISTA IN RAVENNA £19.95
R F Campanati, Girasole, 1995, Italian text, 141pp, 77 b&w illus, paperback
A fascinating pavement with unusual animal and human figure motifs.
13053 I MOSAICI PAVIMENTALI DELLA CATTEDRALE DI NOVARA £13.50
Azelio Ortali, Girasole, 1995, Italian text, 123pp, 55 b&w illus, paperback
A detailed study of this historic floor featuring Adam and Eve and many other geometric and figurative elements.
13057 MICROMOSAICS, The Gilbert Collection £37.50
J H Gabriel, Philip Wilson, 2000, 310pp, 200 colour + 50 mono illus, cloth
There have been no books in English on micromosaics since the earlier catalogue of the Gilbert Collection published in 1982. This definitive work contains new information from the Vatican Mosaic Workshops archives and an appraisal of the collection.
13077 THE MOSAICS OF ST MARY'S OF THE ADMIRAL IN PALERMO £30.00
Ernst Kitzinger, Dumbarton Oaks, USA, 1991, 484pp, 246 b & w illus, 29 plans and drawings, 26 colour plates
This famous mosaic is published here for the first time in its entirety. The book explores the iconography and stylistic sources on which the mosaicists drew. There are a number of features of this mosaic which make it unique in Byzantine decoration, due to local circumstances and these differences are discussed and explained.
13132 LES MOSAÏQUES DE PAVEMENT MEDIEVALES DE VENISES, MURANO, TORCELLO £49.95
Xavier Barral i Altet, Picard, France, 1985, French text, 200pp, 6 plans, 105 drawings, 9 colour illus, 225 b & w illus, boards
An exhaustive study of the medieval mosaic, opus sectile and cosmati floors from these three Italian cities. Still a definitive work, covering the subject in considerable depth.
13152 MOSAICI ANTICHI IN ITALIA, Regione Prima: STABIAE £39.95
M S Pisapia (ed), IPZS, Italy, 1989, Italian text, 90pp + 43 pages of plates with 111 b & w illus and 14 in colour plus 21 maps and plans in text, cloth, dustwrapper, cased.
A corpus of the Roman mosaics in Stabiae, Italy. 120 mosaics are covered in detail, most of which are illustrated.
13159 MOSAICI DI PIAZZA ARMERINA £11.50
Armando Cordaro & Renato Incardona, Editrice Bose Giesse, Italy, 2002, Italian text, 80pp, 133 colour illustrations, paperback
An excellent visual guide to the famous mosaics of the Piazza Armerina. Well illustrated and with concise text in Italian.
16062 PIAZZA ARMERINA £9.00
Prof R J A Wilson, Granada, 1983, 124pp, 59 b & w illus, paperback
We have managed to acquire a few copies of this definitive book on the Piazza and its mosaics. Despite the b & w illustrations, this is an excellent study.
18006 RAVENNA, Art and History £15.00
G Bovini, Angelo Longo, Italy, 1995, English text, 160pp, 120 colour and b&w illus
Excellent guide to the treasures of Ravenna, concentrating on its mosaic heritage.
19042 THE STONES OF VENICE £24.95
Lionello Puppi, Thames & Hudson, 2003, 175pp, 157 colour illus, cloth, dustwrapper
A superb photographic survey of marble and stone in Venice including many examples of mosaic and Cosmati work. A useful guide on a visit to the city.
20029 TAPPETI DI PIETRA, I Mosaici di Taranto Romana £9.99
Various authors, Grafischena, Italy, 1989, Italian text, 106pp, 5 colour + 63 b&w illus, 2 fold-out plans, paperback
A survey of the Roman mosaics of Taranto which have generally survived in remarkable condition. Geometric and figurative designs plus some opus sectile work are all illustrated and described.
21003 GLI UCCELLI NEI MOSAICI BIZANTINI £27.50
Azelio Ortali, Girasole, Italy, 1997, 118pp + 16 colour plates, + 4 foldout plans and 38 b&w illus, paperback
A detailed study of the birds that appear in the Byzantine mosaics of Ravenna. Many
of the birds are arranged in a geometric pattern which has not been deciphered before.
22008 VISIBILIA. Immagine e Messaggio nei Mosaici Ravennati £15.00
W Bendazzi & A Riffaud, Angelo Longo, Italy, 160pp, fully illus in colour and b&w 'Images and messages in Ravenna’s mosaics’.
22019 VATICANO; I MOSAICI ANTICHI £99.00
Paulo Liverani & Giandomenico Spinola, Musei Vaticani/Franco Maria Ricci, 2003, Italian text, 118pp, 95 superb colour illus, cloth, boxed
A study of the mosaics in the Vatican museums, ranging from Roman to 18th century. The illustrations are superb and mainly in very large scale, some double page. The book has a short introduction, but the mosaics are mainly left to speak for themselves. Superb!
22024 IL VANGELO SECONDO RAVENNA £29.95
André Frossard, Itaca, Italy, 2004, Italian text, 104pp, 76 colour illustrations, cloth, dustwrapper
A well illustrated guide to the major mosaic sites of Ravenna with excellent colour illustrations.
8019 RAVENNA: Mosaics and Monuments, A World Heritage CD-ROM £17.95 inc VAT
Isotta Fiorentini (Ed), Mosaic World and Vision, Italy, 2000, English, Italian, French, German and Japanese texts, for Windows 95 and up.
A ‘guided tour’ of the major (and a few minor) mosaic sites in Ravenna. The illustrations are good with a number of ‘video clips’ and the text is spoken as well as written. Navigation is easy once you’ve mastered the basics! Recommended.