Mosaic through East-Facing Glass

Mosaic through East-Facing Glass
Author: Marg Heidebrecht
Publisher: FriesenPress
Total Pages: 226
Release: 2024-04-18
Genre: Literary Collections
ISBN: 1038311128

2020. Yeah, that. Everything stopped except Marg Heidebrecht's habit of writing for ninety minutes a day. Four years, forty essays later, the author of In the Shade: Friendship, Loss, and the Bruce Trail provides us with this new collection. Intended as a legacy for family and friends, her insights and humour will be appreciated by others trying to make sense of their own lives in a world that’s constantly changing.

The Cosmatesque Mosaics of Westminster Abbey

The Cosmatesque Mosaics of Westminster Abbey
Author: Warwick Rodwell
Publisher: Oxbow Books
Total Pages: 1503
Release: 2019-11-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 1789252350

Westminster Abbey contains the only surviving medieval Cosmatesque mosaics outside Italy. They comprise: the ‘Great Pavement’ in the sanctuary; the pavement around the shrine of Edward the Confessor; the saint’s tomb and shrine; Henry III’s tomb; the tomb of a royal child, and some other pieces. Surprisingly, the mosaics have never before received detailed recording and analysis, either individually or as an assemblage. The proposed publication, in two volumes, will present a holistic study of this outstanding group of monuments in their historical architectural and archaeological context. The shrine of St Edward is a remarkable survival, having been dismantled at the Dissolution and re-erected (incorrectly) in 1557 under Queen Mary. Large areas of missing mosaic were replaced with plaster on to which mosaic designs were carefully painted. This 16th-century fictive mosaic is unique in Britain. Conservation of the sanctuary pavement was accompanied by full archaeological recording with every piece of mosaic decoration drawn and colored by David Neal, phase plans have been prepared, and stone-by-stone examination undertaken, petrologically identifying and recording the locations of all the materials present. It has revealed that both the pavements and tombs include a range of exotic stone types. The Cosmati study has shed fresh light on every aspect of the unique series of monuments in Westminster Abbey; this work will fill a major lacuna in our knowledge of 13th-century English art of the first rank, and will command international interest.

Phoenicians in the Lands of Gold

Phoenicians in the Lands of Gold
Author: J.G. Cheock
Publisher: J.G. Cheock
Total Pages: 143
Release: 2017-10-02
Genre: Antiques & Collectibles
ISBN:

Historical research on Philippine’s past, in relation to the maritime Phoenician traders, based on four main areas: Iconography of the Phoenician Religion, Ancient Glass and Gold technologies and motifs, Proto-Canaanite Alphabet on tribal beads, and Impact of the Phoenicians on the languages and historical traditions of the Lands of Gold.

The Conservation of the Orpheus Mosaic at Paphos, Cyprus

The Conservation of the Orpheus Mosaic at Paphos, Cyprus
Author: The Getty Conservation Institute
Publisher: Getty Publications
Total Pages: 88
Release: 1991-09-05
Genre: Art
ISBN: 0892361883

In 1988 the GCI and the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus agreed to conserve an important floor mosaic excavated in 1984–1985 in Paphos, Cyprus. The mosaic, which depicts Orpheus and the Beasts together in a single panel, is representative of an iconographic tradition common throughout the Mediterranean Basin. It is unusual, however, in that Orpheus is shown with his arm outstretched, and is further distinguished by an inscription naming the person who commissioned the work, a feature not present in any other Roman mosaic in Cyprus. Although the mosaic was in generally good condition when excavated, root damage had dislodged much of the tessellatum from its setting-bed and also had created several large lacunae. Subsidence caused by partial support of the mosaic on an underlying wall became more pronounced after excavation, and cracking appeared. For this reason, the mosaic was lifted, provided with a new support, and replaced in situ. The decision was made to lift the tesellatum by rolling it onto a drum rather than by cutting it into smaller sections, respecting the single pictorial composition of the work. The project included training in this relatively unusual technique for conservators from the region. The Conservation of the Orpheus Mosaic at Paphos, Cyprus, chronicles each element of the project, including the evaluation, documentation, detachment, reinstallation, and cleaning of the mosaic. It includes a clearly illustrated, step-by-step discussion of the procedures used to roll the mosaic and to install its new support system of fiberglass and aluminum. Environmental monitoring, analysis of tesserae samples, and the development and evaluation of a protective shelter are also covered, along with historical and iconographic material on this remarkable mosaic.

East of the Theater

East of the Theater
Author: Anastassios C. Antonaras
Publisher: American School of Classical Studies at Athens
Total Pages: 241
Release: 2023-01-13
Genre: History
ISBN: 1621390438

Corinth has been an important site for the study of ancient glass since the pioneering work of Gladys Davidson Weinberg. This volume presents the first attempt at Corinth to analyze the entire corpus of glass found in a single area, that located just east of the Theater, the focus of excavations conducted by the American School of Classical Studies in the 1980s. These excavations revealed a north-south street that flanked the Theater, as well as a series of buildings to its east, part of a residential neighborhood ranging in date from the Early Roman to the Early Byzantine period. In this volume-the first of the final reports from the East of Theater excavations-the author presents the glass finds, including over 450 cataloged examples of glassworking remains, vessel glass, and non-vessel glass. Significantly, these finds reveal shifting patterns in vessel types, manufacturing techniques, and trade, as well as evidence for local glass production throughout these periods. Included among the finds are fragments of two opus sectile panels, evidence of the type of luxurious decoration that once existed in these structures. This groundbreaking study provides a tantalizing glimpse into the lives of everyday Corinthians, advancing glass studies both within Greece and throughout the Mediterranean.

Asia's Maritime Bead Trade

Asia's Maritime Bead Trade
Author: Peter Francis
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
Total Pages: 366
Release: 2002-01-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780824823320

This fascinating study is the first detailed description of the ancient and enduring trade in beads that spans more than two millennia and once stretched from the Middle East to East Asia and affected areas as far apart as West Africa and the American Pacific coast. Beads are universal and among the earliest art forms. Made of glass, semiprecious stone, or precious organic materials such as amber and coral, they were ubiquitous in the ancient world, serving as decorations, magical charms, mnemonic and counting devices, symbols of wealth and status. Much of the ancient bead trade was incorporated in Asian maritime commerce, and many of the beads involved have Asian origins. Peter Francis, Jr., a pioneer in bead studies, incorporates firsthand knowledge of beads and beadmaking in the field with years of solid, scholarly research, effectively eliminating much of the hearsay and speculation that so often characterizes works on beads. In addition to the production, use, and provenance of beads, he examines the importance of the bead trade for the economies of the countries involved and provides insights into the lives of its many participants: artisans, mariners, and merchants. He covers the widely-dispersed Indo-Pacific beads (sometimes called Trade Wind beads or mutisalah), Chinese glass beads, Middle Eastern glass beads, Indian stone beads, heirloom beads in Southeast Asia and Micronesia, and other minor beads and bead industries involved in the trade.