Signorelli and Fra Angelico at Orvieto: Liturgy, Poetry, and a Vision of the End of Time (Histories of Visions) (Histories of Visions) [Hardcover]

Sara Nair James (Author)

Book Description

Series: Histories of Visions | Publication Date: November 2003

Built in 1290, the cathedral at Orvieto, Italy, is a masterpiece of Italian gothic architecture. The decoration of the Cappella Nuova, commenced by Fra Angelico in 1447 and magnificently completed by Luca Signorelli in 1499 and 1504, displays an awe-inspiring "Last Judgement" and "Apocalypse" and, below it, scenes from Dante and classical literature. Drawing on years of detailed research into the history of the chapel, Sara Nair James identifies Signorelli's theological advisors as a group of Dominican scholars, known as the "Masters of the Sacred Page of this city". She presents the decoration as an integrated whole, a programme complex in iconography, message, source material and theory and, through a detailed response to Dante's "Divine Comedy" and a moralized reading of classical legends, explains how the events of the end-time join the literary narratives to form a sermon on salvation through penance. The book is not simply a work of traditional iconography, explaining the stories behind the pictures. It is a study in the theory and techniques of the visual representation of religious belief and its reception by the laity. The detailed illustration includes many photographs taken after the restoration of the chapel in 1996.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: Ashgate Pub Ltd (November 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0754608131
• ISBN-13: 978-0754608134
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,336,176 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.