A Lost Art Rediscovered: The Architectural Ceramics Of Byzantium Architectural Ceramics Of Byzantium

During the tenth and eleventh centuries, splendid Byzantine buildings were enriched by colorful ceramic tiles decorated with an impressive range of figural and ornamental patterns. Despite their widespread use, traces of this important decorative medium have, for the most part, disappeared. Relegated to museum storerooms, hidden in private collections, buried under layers of construction, and eclipsed by more durable media, polychrome tiles have until now been denied their full role in our understanding of Byzantine decoration and aesthetics. A Lost Art Rediscovered includes a fully illustrated catalogue of all known tiles produced in the region of Constantinople, including the substantial collection owned by the Walters Art Museum, as well as those belonging to museums and private collections around the world. Some tiles included in the catalogue are now lost; the discovery of others is reported here for the first time. A series of scholarly essays gives the ceramics their rightful place in the study of Byzantine art and treats aspects of patronage, manufacture, function, ornament, and cultural significance. This comprehensive publication heralds the first large-scale, permanent installation of the Byzantine tiles in the collection of the Walters Art Museum.

During the tenth and eleventh centuries, splendid Byzantine buildings were enriched by colorful ceramic tiles decorated with an impressive range of figural and ornamental patterns. Despite their widespread use, traces of this important decorative medium have, for the most part, disappeared. Relegated to museum storerooms, hidden in private collections, buried under layers of construction, and eclipsed by more durable media, polychrome tiles have until now been denied their full role in our understanding of Byzantine decoration and aesthetics.

A Lost Art Rediscovered includes a fully illustrated catalogue of all known tiles produced in the region of Constantinople, including the substantial collection owned by the Walters Art Museum, as well as those belonging to museums and private collections around the world. Some tiles included in the catalogue are now lost; the discovery of others is reported here for the first time. A series of scholarly essays gives the ceramics their rightful place in the study of Byzantine art and treats aspects of patronage, manufacture, function, ornament, and cultural significance. This comprehensive publication heralds the first large-scale, permanent installation of the Byzantine tiles in the collection of the Walters Art Museum.

Contributors include Jeffrey C. Anderson, Anne Bouquillon, Anthony Cutler, Elizabeth S. Ettinghausen, Cyril Mango, Marlia Mundell Mango, William Tronzo, and Christine Vogt.

During the tenth and eleventh centuries, luxurious Byzantine buildings were enriched by colorful ceramic tiles decorated with an impressive range of figural and ornamental patterns. Despite their widespread use, traces of this important decorative medium have, for the most part, disappeared. Relegated to museum storerooms, hidden in private collections, buried under layers of construction, and eclipsed by more durable media, polychrome tiles have until now been denied their full role in our understanding of Byzantine decoration and aesthetics.A Lost Art Rediscovered includes a fully illustrated catalogue of all known tiles produced in the region of Constantinople, including the substantial collection owned by the Walters Art Museum, as well as those belonging to museums and private collections around the world. Some tiles included in the catalogue are now lost; the discovery of others is reported here for the first time. A series of scholarly essays gives the ceramics their rightful place in the study of Byzantine art and treats aspects of patronage, manufacture, function, ornament, and cultural significance. This comprehensive publication heralds the first large-scale, permanent installation of the Byzantine tiles in the collection of the Walters Art Museum. Ninth- To Eleventh-century Constantinople: The Cultural Context / Cyril Mango -- Polychrome Tiles Found At Istanbul: Typology, Chronology, And Function / Marlia Mundell Mango -- Ceramic Icons From Medieval Constantinople / Sharon E.j. Gerstel -- Technical Insights Into The Working Practices Of The Byzantine Tile Maker / Julie A. Lauffenburger, Christine Vogt, And Anne Bouquillon -- Introduction To Ornamental Tiles / Jeffrey C. Anderson -- Tiles, Books, And The Church Like A Bride Adorned With Pearls And Gold / Jeffrey C. Anderson -- The Vagaries Of A Motif And Other Observations On Ornament / William Tronzo -- Tiles And Tribulations: A Community Of Clay Across Byzantium And Its Adversaries / Anthony Cutler -- Catalogue Of Tiles From Sites In Constantinople And In Collections: I. Great Palace. Ii. Hospital Of Sampson. Iii. Istanbul Archaeological Museum. Edited By Sharon E.j. Gerstel And Julie A. Lauffenburger. Published In Connection With An Exhibition At The Walters Art Museum. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [xiii-xvii]) And Index. A Lost Art Rediscovered includes a fully illustrated catalogue of all known tiles produced in the region of Constantinople, including the substantial collection owned by the Walters Art Museum, as well as those belonging to museums and private collections around the world. Some tiles included in the catalogue are now lost; the discovery of others is reported here for the first time. A series of scholarly essays gives the ceramics their rightful place in the study of Byzantine art and treats aspects of patronage, manufacture, function, ornament, and cultural significance. This comprehensive publication heralds the first large-scale, permanent installation of the Byzantine tiles in the collection of the Walters Art Museum. Book jacket