Mosaics in the Medieval World From Late Antiquity to the Fifteenth Century

In this book, Liz James offers a comprehensive history of wall mosaics produced in the European and Islamic middle ages. Taking into account a wide range of issues, including style and iconography, technique and material, and function and patronage, she examines mosaics within their historical context. She asks why the mosaic was such a popular medium and considers how mosaics work as historical 'documents' that tell us about attitudes and beliefs in the medieval world. The book is divided into two part. Part I explores the technical aspects of mosaics, including glass production, labour and materials, and costs. In Part II, James provides a chronological history of mosaics, charting the low and high points of mosaic art up until its abrupt end in the late middle ages. Written in a clear and engaging style, her book will serve as an essential resource for scholars and students of medieval mosaics.

Part I. Making Wall Mosaics: Introduction to Part I; 1. Making glass tesserae; 2. Making mosaics; 3. The business of mosaics; 4. The value of mosaics; Part II. Mosaics by Century: Introduction to Part II; 5. In the beginning: wall mosaics in the fourth century; 6. Types or prototypes? Mosaics in the fifth century; 7. Emperors, kings, popes and bishops: mosaics in the sixth century; 8. New beginnings? Islam, Byzantium and Rome: mosaics in the seventh and eighth centuries; 9. Medium and message: ninth- and tenth-century mosaics; 10. A universal language? Eleventh-century mosaics; 11. Incorrigibly plural: mosaics in the twelfth century; 12. Men and mosaics: the thirteenth century; 13. Boom and bust: mosaics in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries; Conclusion; Appendix of sites; Bibliography.

Liz James is a Byzantine art historian with an interest in mosaics. Her ambition is to see at first-hand all the mosaics discussed in this book, and she is approximately three-quarters of the way there. She is Professor of Art History at the University of Sussex, where she teaches courses on Byzantine art.