
Icons: Divine Beauty
Divine Beauty
Richard Temple(Author)
Saqi Books (Publisher)
Will be published approx. on 17. March 2004
Book
Hardback
224 pages
978-0-86356-566-3 (ISBN)
Description
With its roots in the distant, pre-Christian past, the art of the icon has been refined over centuries. Icon paintings are instantly recognisable, but have never been widely understood in the West. The art developed in the deserts of the Middle East, passing through the Roman and Byzantine imperial ages and achieving its highest form in Russia, while exerting a discernible influence on the Italian Renaissance along the way. Richard Temple's lavishly illustrated book provides a concise but thorough tour through the ages of the icon, tracing the art from its origins to the 19th century and beyond. The icons selected to illustrate the text include famous works as well as many stunning, rarely-seen ones. This particular emphasis on lesser-known masterpieces, along with the author's cogent, thorough and very personal overview of the major periods and themes of icon painting, that make this book a truly unique contribution to the field of art history and appreciation. It is both an introduction for the unfamiliar and an object in its own right that should delight connoisseurs.
Reviews / Votes
'Beautiful and lavishly illustrated ... if only one book on this subject can be had, this would be an excellent choice.' Catholic Library World; 'This beautiful book provides us with a rare opportunity to gaze with delight on good reproductions of icons so that we may engage with their great beauty and powerful mystery. I here record my gratitude to Richard Temple.' Sister Wendy Beckett; 'This richly illustrated book brings us face to face with some of the most beautiful and unfamiliar images in European civilisation.' Daily Mail; 'Temple's excitingly illustrated book of icons extends our exposure to the extraordinary holy art of Byzantium and Russia ... an erudite overview.' Choice; 'Icons is magnificent and very interesting.' Yuri Piatnitsky, Curator of the Byzantine Icons CollectionMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
160 Colour Illustrations; 160 Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 310 mm
Width: 245 mm
Thickness: 19 mm
Weight
620 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-86356-566-3 (9780863565663)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Richard Temple has owned and operated London's The Temple Gallery since 1959, and has been instrumental in acquiring important icons for some of the world's foremost collections including The British Museum and the Menil Collection in Houston.He is the author of Icons and the Mystical Origins of Christianity.
Content
Foreword - Preface - Origins - The Oldest Icons - Iconoclasm -The Macedonian - Renaissance - Story Images - The Split between East and West - 12th and 13th Centuries - The 14th Century Paleologan Renaissance - Spiritual Hierarchies - Crete - Cyprus - The Balkans - Pre-Mongolian Period in Russia, 1000-1240 - Novgorod -The Moscow School - The 16th Century - The 17th Century and Later - Appendix: Glossary of Names and Terms -Suggested Further Reading - Bibliography - Index