Carolyn Connor shows here that Byzantine ivory carvings--often assumed to have been monochromatic--were originally brightly colored. Most ivories today show no obvious traces of paint or stain, and many scholars believe that the Byzantines preferred the aesthetic of ivory's natural, creamy color. However, Connor's close examination of one hundred Late Antique and Byzantine ivories reveals that artists frequently colored ivories in bright hues of red, blue, green, and gold.
Intrigued by barely visible traces of paint or stain, Connor subjected such ivory objects as boxes, plaques, and book covers to scientific analysis. Under the microscope, she saw that their surfaces were once ablaze with color, while tests identified the actual pigments. Her findings, presented here, demonstrate that the ivories were colored and that the paint or stain--which does not adhere well to the surface of ivory--either wore off or was cleaned away. She draws on the work of archaeologists, classicists, historians, and art historians to show that this color was almost certainly original and not, as many scholars have assumed, a medieval or later addition. The author also locates Byzantine ivories within a long tradition of colored ivory going back, for example, to a painted chest found in the tomb of the Egyptian boy-king Tutankhamen. Connor's close study and contextualizing of a significant group of ivories will reshape our thinking about color, culture, and art.
Review:
... The debate about whether medieval ivories might originally have been coloured has been a long-running one. Since Winckelmann, the ideal of purity has been intrinsic to the appreciation of much sculpture, above all to the study of ivory, which has a colour of its own and a beauty of material appreciated for its grain and gloss. Carolyn Connor's book, a survey of the results of her Byzantine ivories project, deals with the issue conclusively. She proves finally that late antique and Byzantine ivories were painted and gilded and thus effectively silences this dispute . . . Connor's book is significant in answering the polychromy question. It provides the first important step towards a reassessment of the aesthetics of Byzantine colour perception and reveals the need for much more analysis and discussion. (Burlington Magazine)
Table of contents:
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction
3
Ch. 1
Color on Byzantine Ivories
9
Ch. 2
Colors, Pigments, and Pigment Analysis
23
Ch. 3
The Ancient Tradition of Polychrome Ivories
35
Ch. 4
The Testimony of Ancient and Medieval Texts
47
Ch. 5
Color on Ivory and the Byzantine Aesthetic
67
Conclusion: Shifting the Paradigm
79
Appendix A
Ivories Project Database
83
Appendix B
Diagrams of Joshua Ivories
89
Notes
93
Bibliography
121
Index
125
Intrigued by barely visible traces of paint or stain, Connor subjected such ivory objects as boxes, plaques, and book covers to scientific analysis. Under the microscope, she saw that their surfaces were once ablaze with color, while tests identified the actual pigments. Her findings, presented here, demonstrate that the ivories were colored and that the paint or stain--which does not adhere well to the surface of ivory--either wore off or was cleaned away. She draws on the work of archaeologists, classicists, historians, and art historians to show that this color was almost certainly original and not, as many scholars have assumed, a medieval or later addition. The author also locates Byzantine ivories within a long tradition of colored ivory going back, for example, to a painted chest found in the tomb of the Egyptian boy-king Tutankhamen. Connor's close study and contextualizing of a significant group of ivories will reshape our thinking about color, culture, and art.
Review:
... The debate about whether medieval ivories might originally have been coloured has been a long-running one. Since Winckelmann, the ideal of purity has been intrinsic to the appreciation of much sculpture, above all to the study of ivory, which has a colour of its own and a beauty of material appreciated for its grain and gloss. Carolyn Connor's book, a survey of the results of her Byzantine ivories project, deals with the issue conclusively. She proves finally that late antique and Byzantine ivories were painted and gilded and thus effectively silences this dispute . . . Connor's book is significant in answering the polychromy question. It provides the first important step towards a reassessment of the aesthetics of Byzantine colour perception and reveals the need for much more analysis and discussion. (Burlington Magazine)
Table of contents:
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Ch. 1
Color on Byzantine Ivories
Ch. 2
Colors, Pigments, and Pigment Analysis
Ch. 3
The Ancient Tradition of Polychrome Ivories
Ch. 4
The Testimony of Ancient and Medieval Texts
Ch. 5
Color on Ivory and the Byzantine Aesthetic
Conclusion: Shifting the Paradigm
Appendix A
Ivories Project Database
Appendix B
Diagrams of Joshua Ivories
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Es gelten unsere Allgemeinen Geschäftsbedingungen: www.buecher.de/agb
Impressum
www.buecher.de ist ein Internetauftritt der buecher.de internetstores GmbH
Geschäftsführung: Monica Sawhney | Roland Kölbl | Günter Hilger
Sitz der Gesellschaft: Batheyer Straße 115 - 117, 58099 Hagen
Postanschrift: Bürgermeister-Wegele-Str. 12, 86167 Augsburg
Amtsgericht Hagen HRB 13257
Steuernummer: 321/5800/1497
USt-IdNr: DE450055826
Bitte wählen Sie Ihr Anliegen aus.
Rechnungen
Retourenschein anfordern
Bestellstatus
Storno