A Lost Art Rediscovered: The Architectural Ceramics of Byzantium

During the 10th and 11th centuries, major Byzantine buildings were enriched by colourful ceramic tiles decorated with an impressive range of figural and ornamental patterns. Despite their widespread use, traces of this important decorative medium have, for the most part, disappeared. Relegated to museum storerooms, hidden in private collections, buried under layers of construction, and eclipsed by more durable media, polychrome tiles have until now been denied their full role in our understanding of Byzantine decoration and aesthetics. A Lost Art Rediscovered includes a fully illustrated catalogue of all known tiles produced in the region of Constantinople, including the substantial collection owned by the Walters Art Museum, as well as those belonging to museums and private collections around the world. Some tiles included in the catalogue are now lost; the discovery of others is reported here for the first time. A series of scholarly essays give the ceramics their rightful place in the study of Byzantine art and treats aspects of patronage, manufacture, function, ornament and cultural significance. This comprehensive publication heralds the first large-scale permanent installation of the Byzantine tiles in the collection of the Walter Art Museum. Contributors include Jeffrey C. Anderson, Anne Bouquillon, Anthony Cutler, Elizabeth S. Ettinghausen, Cyril Mango, Marlia Mudell Mango, William Tronzo and Christine Vogt.