Customer Reviews

Cosmatesque Ornament: Flat Polychrome Geometric Patterns in Architecture

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A thorough and focused academic treatise on Cosmati tiling. Living in Rome I was interested in the designs, so I bought this book when it was newly published because it's the only one on the subject. Unfortunately, many of the color photos (taken by the author while a student) have a yellow cast are so dark you can hardly see the details; a few are even out of focus. Such a shame after so much effort of research and expense of printing, that a professional photographer/photo editor was not used. For my purposes I found it disappointing, especially at the list price.

This book is both beautiful and informative on virtually every aspect of Cosmatesque Ornament. It discusses the artistic and material sources of Cosmati opus sectile, its history and development, its use in church floors, screens, columns, etc., and the geometric foundations and design methods. There are, it is true, a few dark or fuzzy photographs, but the photography in general is very good and the abundance of photographs adds to the wealth of information this book presents. Additionally, the publisher hired a book designer who did an outstanding job of designing the this book, making the book itself a pleasure to look at, and to read.

I am buying a 2nd copy of this book today! My first copy motivated me to paint a Cosmati guilloche in a 52 foot long frieze 4 feet tall, using 17 round mirrors as eyelets. I've received lots of praise for it. I could not of done it without the author doing the math on how they were created. I am in love with the book and can't thank the author enough. And I'm not the only designer using Cosmati patterns, for other stunning modern Cosmati panels see SICIS book,"Mosaic Masterpieces", it's cover features a new breathtaking Cosmati floor, with more floors inside. And if you want to compare texts, take a look at the only other Cosmati book, it's by Edward Hutton, called "The Cosmati". In it you'll find only 8 black and white "pavement details", that's like photographing a rainbow in black and white! Paloma Pajares-Ayuela may have a few "out of focus" pictures but they are in color and that makes all the difference! And her own two page watercolor of a cosmati floor is a masterpiece of illustration.