Book Description
Venetian merchants of the Middle Ages imported more than precious spices and textiles from the far reaches of the eastern Mediterranean, they also acquired a wealth of visual ideas and information from Islamic culture, this book shows. Architectural historian Deborah Howard explores the range of buildings that reflected Muslim imagery and discusses the complexities of importing such ideas to an unambiguously Christian city.
Customer Reviews:
dont get carried away.......2007-08-03
The importance with books of this sort, is dont get carried away. Islam is a big question today, and intercultural history is a top priority, but accuracy should always trump political fads. Venice is by far a city of Byzantine and Gothic, much less Islamic influence. The book fails to make this sufficiently clear, and can leave the reader with the impression that Venice, and the Renaissance had Oriental roots. This is plain wrong.
The Many Veils of Venice.......2007-06-25
Deborah Howard is steeped in the enigma of Venetian architecture and gives a fabulous interpretation of its development through trading relationships with the Islamic world from 1100-1500 AD.
By emphasising the mental `Transmission and Propagation' of Islamic imagery as much as any materialistic one through trade, Howard shows just how elastic the `process of cultural diffusion' was and restores the importance of the oral tradition in the `reformulation' of that imagery into another space and time.
Her focus on the Middle East draws our attention away from Constantinople, bringing out the importance of Alexandria as one of the main sources of cultural inspiration.
In a vivid example of a rescued and transformed architectural motif, Howard mentions at length the lighthouse Pharos of Alexandria. This wonder of the ancient world was still standing when Islam spread across the North African coast and its secular function as a light in dark places became a potent spiritual symbol with the slimmed down rise of many a minaret.
The offspring of Pharos continued to multiply with Venice contributing several of its own; the last example, Codussi's campanile for the cathedral church of San Pietro di Castello with, `its snow-white ashlar masonry . . . stands at the eastern end of the city, as a beacon for the sea borne traveller from the east.'
The Great Umayyed Mosque in Damascus also gets singled out for special attention as does the Abbasid and Fatimid periods in general, with their legacy of impressive building projects that impacted upon the mind of many a Venetian merchant.
Howard reminds us how the papal ban on trade with Moslems became more than just a tiresome irritant for the Venetians. With so much lucrative trade at stake, the essence of its survival, good relations with the Moslem Middle East were a necessity; in Cairo for example, `only Venetian gold ducats are accepted currency.'
Venice also became a facilitator in pilgrim traffic to Jerusalem and it is the combination of so many of those factors that makes Deborah Howard's narrative so interesting. With splendid photographs and maps to reinforce her view, we look at Venice with fresh eyes while the ghost of bygone Alexandria dazzles, mirage like, before us.
The ripe old civilisations of the east were infused with much positive creativity in the wake of Islamic conquests: Howard's narrative helps dissolve the rigid and outdated paradigm of a `clash of civilisations,' revealing a grudging sense of admiration by many a Christian merchant and pilgrim who stood witness to Islamic ways of life and became transmitters of that imagery back to Venice.
An unusual book: Highly recommended!
Venice's love affair with the Orient.......2001-03-16
Clearly one of the best art books of the year, Venice and the East traces the impact of Islamic art on the Venetian imagination -- as evident in its architecture. Though stunning illustrations that compare Venetian and Islamic architecture and a well-written text based on primary sources, author Deborah Howard shows that, in the heyday of Levantine trade, Venetian merchants brought back more than spices and cotton from the Islamic world. They also brought back visions of paradise: Islamic styles in gardens, courtyards and palaces that evoked not just Eastern sensuality but also biblical grandeur and spirituality. Although Howard gives ample attention to the borrowing of specific architectural motifs -- balconies, crenellated walls and ogee windows -- she goes well beyond a cataloging of borrowed style. This is, most of all, a study in cultural assimilation -- of ideas as much as architectural form -- and is well worth treasuring whether your passion runs to architecture, history, sociology, or more simply: to gorgeously illustrated coffee table books.
Book Description
125 black-and-white images based on motifs in a wide array of sources: fairy tale collections, medieval French and Celtic manuscripts, Japanese and Chinese artwork, and more. Smoke-and-fire-breathing dragons, scaly creatures of the sea, powerful beasts endangering the lives of mariners, Celtic dragons with interwoven body parts, and much more.
Customer Reviews:
Sorely Disappointed - Duplicate Book Different Title.......2007-04-02
I ordered this book and a book called Dragons and Wizards. When I started to look through Dragons:A Book of Designs, I was sorely disappointed. Everything in this book is in the Dragons and Wizards CD-ROM and Book except the Wizards one had additional media in it. I feel like I paid twice for the same book. BEWARE, THIS IS A LESSER DUPLICATE!
dragons need enlargement.......2007-01-25
For goldwork embroidery which uses large but simple designs, these dragons would need to be greatly enlarged and simplified further. But a useful source anyway and good price.
not dover's best.......2006-11-27
I will not lie, this book has some interesting drawings but from the point of view of a graphic designer most drawings are lacking in graphism. They all are in black and white (with exception of those portrayed on the cover) which I have no problem with; but if you are thinking of reproducing them for logos, decoration, emblems, etc. you will find some dragons unusable since most are awfully complicatedly misdrawn: eyes are often off, lines are shabby, drawings seem childlike and not up to standards with other Dover books of design I have bought. The origin of the drawings is vague and sometimes unexistent, most only state which country they came from and dates are general to entire centuries, no record from where it was taken from or whom drew them, with exception to seven drawings in the whole book. Still if you only want them for looking at it or if you're willing to repair broken lines and seemingly unfinished drawings you should buy it.
Lots of Dragons.......2006-07-26
Many kinds of lovely line drawing dragons. These are b/w line drawings, no colour, despite the cover. Still, very much worth the $$.
Great patterns.......2006-03-03
These dont have color but I bought them for the patterns..to use parts of this one and parts of that one on tracing paper to come up with my own dragons..the pictures are very good quality..and for any dragon lover or artist.Its well worth adding to the library...B.W.
Book Description
At Home in Renaissance Italy draws together an impressive range of ideas and objects—from sumptuous paintings and textiles to kitchen utensils, popular prints, jewelry, and everyday dress—to reveal how the homes of the upper- and middle-classes made a crucial contribution to the flowering of the visual arts in 15th- and 16th-century Italy. Drawing on a wide array of sources, including contemporary letters, inventories, and archaeological surveys, it offers a completely fresh and in-depth exploration of the fascinating domestic world of Renaissance Italy.
This fascinating, innovative book is sure to become a key reference and visual resource for students of art and design, history and archaeology, and anyone with an interest in the everyday life and material culture of the Italian Renaissance.
Customer Reviews:
A must have for any renaissance history buff........2007-05-04
Value for money! I highly recommend it to any one interested in C16 italian life styles. Loads of photos of extant pieces. There is one photo of an islamic incesence ball. I had read/heard/seen one of these some time ago but didn't have any more than a memory of it. Fan-tas-tic!
Cross cultural influnces are also discussed in this book to give a broarder view of Italian society.
Average customer rating:
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The History of Decorative Arts: Renaissance and Mannerism in Europe
Manufacturer: Abbeville Press
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Classicism and the Baroque in Europe (History of Decorative Arts)
ASIN: 1558598219 |
Book Description
Handsome collection features broad range of styles favored in centuries past by printers and designers. Includes scores of stylish scrolls, headpieces, tailpieces, cupids, wreaths, floral borders, and other designs. An eminently useful, royalty-free archive for printers, artists, advertisers, and designers, these attractive designs will also appeal to craftworkers. 350 black-and-white illustrations.
Book Description
Swirling with gargoyles, devils, dragons, griffins, and other images that haunt both dreams and nightmares, this otherworldly assortment features illustrations from a rare 19th-century volume. Images include cartouches, frames, doors, trophies, cabinets, friezes for textiles and wallpaper, decorative scutcheons, stone balustrades, arabesques, roof cornices, and much more.
Book Description
1,489 decorative ornaments for artists and craftspeople: headpieces, tailpieces, dingbats, lunettes, calligraphic and heraldic devices, moe, in Renaissance, Baroque, Victorian, Art Nouveau, and many other styles.
Average customer rating:
- Original but often questionable
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Bearers of Meaning
John Onians
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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The Lost Meaning of Classical Architecture: Speculations on Ornament from Vitruvius to Venturi
ASIN: 0691002193 |
Book Description
For all those interested in the relationship between ideas and the built environment, John Onians provides a lively illustrated account of the range of meanings that Western culture has assigned to the Classical orders. Onians shows that during the 2,000 years from their first appearance in ancient Greece through their codification in Renaissance Italy, the orders--the columns and capitals known as Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, Tuscan, and Composite--were made to serve expressive purposes, engaging the viewer in a continuing visual dialogue.
Customer Reviews:
Original but often questionable.......2003-03-19
Note: This book spans the 5th century BC to the 16th century AD. I read the portion from the 5th to the 15th centuries as that was all that was applicable to my research.
Onians takes on an impressive task in this book: tracing the use and meaning of the Classical orders from their still poorly understood and greatly mythologized origins, through a period in which tradition would claim that they disappeared, and into the age of their supposed revival. The topic alone is innovative, and many of Onians' interpretations are correspondingly iconoclastic. Unfortunately, these interpretations, though intriguing, often lack substantiating evidence and/or are very broad generalizations based on archetypal pairs of opposites such as male/female or structure/ornament. In his chapters regarding the ancient world, Onians tends to take a rather Vitruvian view of architecture, classifying columns as male or female despite Vitruvius post-dating much of the architecture Onians discusses. It is notable that in his discussion of the Gothic Onians addresses the continued used of ancient orders; however, he remains disappointingly blind to the possibility that this implies a continued interest in the ancient world. As for the Renaissance, I was pleased to see Onians arguing that the early stages of this movement involved not a revival of the antique but a remodeling of the medieval in ancient terms in order to rival the ancient world. Unfortunately, Onians does not present convincing evidence for this point of view--in particular, he cannot overcome the traditional argument that many of the medieval Tuscan forms found in quattrocento architecture are present as a result of the misdating of such monuments as the Baptistery of Florence to ancient Roman times. Perhaps the fatal flaw of the book, however, is Onians' relentless need to find a single theme for each period he examines. Thus, architecture in the ancient world revolved around the principles of masculine and feminine; the medieval focus was on spiritual and symbolic use of architecture in order to reconcile pagan forms with Christianity; and the quattrocento was about "cleaning up" after the middle ages. It is sometimes painful to watch Onians as he tries his best to fit exceptions to his rules, often falling back on single words in theoretical texts in order to do so. I would have preferred a bit more practicality and give in the interpretive framework of this book.
Ultimately, this book is ambitious and thought-provoking at best, but problematic and sometimes misleading at worst. I would recommend it to those who are curious about the subject and want to hear some unusual theories. I would not recommend it as the cornerstone for anyone's research or as a "good introduction."
Customer Reviews:
Textile design.......2007-05-13
This book has simple line drawing of Italian textiles but unfortunately there is no documentation to indicate the specifics of each primary source. I found it of limited usefulness as I am looking for where a source pattern came from, what year it was used (approximately), and ideally what the original material used was. For the price, it is fair if you are just looking for design ideas.
nice drawings but no information.......2006-06-23
Aaccording to the back cover of this book this has "authentic designs" based on textiles of the Italian Renaissance. We will just have to take their word for it, because there is no information on what century, what type of textile each design is from, etc. These are an artist's reinterpretation of design motifs, so if you are looking for information on Italian Renaissance textiles (say, for costume research) look elsewhere. Try "Full-Color Historic Textile Designs" by M. Dupont-Auberville; while it does't have photos of extant textiles, it does provide information on where and when the original textile was produced, along with a larger scale drawing of the fabric design. If you can find a copy of "A Treasury of Great Italian Textiles", an older book by Antonino Santangelo, that would be even better, as it provides actual photos of extant textiles from the period.
Average customer rating:
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The Architectural Treatise in the Italian Renaissance: Architectural Invention, Ornament and Literary Culture
Alina Payne
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0521622662 |
Book Description
Vitruvius' Ten Books of Architecture was the fountainhead of architectural theory in the Italian Renaissance. Offering theoretical and practical solutions to a wide variety of architectural issues, this treatise did not, however, address all of the questions that were of concern to early modern architects. This study examines the Italian Renaissance architect's efforts to negotiate between imitation and reinvention of classicism. Through a close reading of Vitruvius and texts written during the period 1400-1600, Alina Payne identifies ornament as the central issue around which much of this debate focused.
Books:
- Waiting for Wings
- Water Song: A Retelling of "The Frog Prince" (Once Upon a Time)
- Wristwatch Annual 2007 (Wristwatch Annual)
- 1,000 Greetings: Creative Correspondence Designed for All Occasions
- 1000 Glass Beads: Innovation & Imagination in Contemporary Glass Beadmaking
- 9 Heads: A Guide to Drawing Fashion (3rd Edition)
- A Pig in Provence: Good Food and Simple Pleasures in the South of France
- A Quilter's Christmas (A Rodale Quilt Book)
- Andy Goldsworthy: A Collaboration with Nature
- Applique the Basics and Beyond: The Complete Guide to Successful Machine and Hand Techniques with Dozens of Designs to Mix and Match
Books Index
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