Ludovicus Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 (edited) Roman Architectural Spolia DALE KINNEY Professor of History of Art Bryn Mawr College Ever visit a church in Rome and notice that the columns were not exactly of the same size? This is an exhaustive work on the subject of spolia, the re-use of earlier building material or decorative sculpture on new monuments. The subject of spolia has figured in some of the posts made here at UNRV. So I think that this study, available as a free pdf. download, will interest at least a few of you. One often thinks of the practice during the Middle Ages and Renaissance when builders plundered the Colosseum and the Circus Maximus for marbles and other materials. From Dale Kinney's study I learned that the robbing of older structures was a practice that dated from at least the 4th Century. By 301, whole column shafts were virtually unobtainable on the market, and were priceless. ... [the] first great spolia structures were Constantine's: his arch dated 313?15... Along with the discussion of salvaged materials destined for new uses, you learn which marbles and column styles were the most prized, and what the use of Greek columns meant for Roman tastes. You can find the link to the download here: http://www.amphilsoc...iles/Kinney.pdf Edited February 26, 2011 by Ludovicus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agamemnus Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 Mmm, green marble. The figures at the end are all apparently missing, though... maybe it is because I only have Acrobat 7; not sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 I don't see the pictures either (I have Acrobat 9). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klingan Posted February 26, 2011 Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 Mmm, green marble. The figures at the end are all apparently missing, though... maybe it is because I only have Acrobat 7; not sure. I can't see them either. By the way, you should take a look at Kolonna at Aegina if you're interested in Spolia - there's an amazing wall built up almost exclusively by reused inscriptions and architectural members. Here is just a small example where you can see two inscriptions and one triglyph. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludovicus Posted February 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 Yes, the illustrations do not appear in my download either. Sorry. I thought the text was fascinating, gave me new info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludovicus Posted February 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2011 (edited) Very striking. Here's another recycling of an ancient inscription in the pavement of St. Paul's Outside the Walls. http://www.flickr.co...eon/4068697111/ Mmm, green marble. The figures at the end are all apparently missing, though... maybe it is because I only have Acrobat 7; not sure. I can't see them either. By the way, you should take a look at Kolonna at Aegina if you're interested in Spolia - there's an amazing wall built up almost exclusively by reused inscriptions and architectural members. Here is just a small example where you can see two inscriptions and one triglyph. Edited February 26, 2011 by Ludovicus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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