‎Anna Anguissola, Andreas Gr ner (eds)‎
‎Nature of Art. Pliny the Elder on Materials‎

‎, Brepols, 2021 Hardback, 372 pages, Size:180 x 265 mm, Illustrations:80 col., Language: English. ISBN 9782503591179.‎

Reference : 65316

‎Summary In his Natural History, Pliny the Elder organises his discussion of crafts according to the raw materials they utilize. However, scholarly literature has paid little attention to the aspect of materiality, preferring to focus on the biographies and achievements of ancient Greek artists. This collection instead addresses the presentation of artistic processes and their materials in the Natural History. This approach corresponds with current developments in the study of Greco-Roman art, wherein scientific analysis of artistic materials including stones, pigments, and metal alloys, as well as a deeper understanding of workshop practices, has imposed profound changes on the methods used in the study of ancient artefacts. TABLE OF CONTENTS Editorial note and abbreviations INTRODUCTION Anna Anguissola and Andreas Gr ner Nature and Culture in the Natural History PROPERTIES Courtney Roby Parasite, Infused: Pliny on Leeches Annette Haug Silver and Obsidian: Shine and Reflection Julian Schreyer Pliny on the Sensory Qualities of Tin Verity Platt Beeswax: The Natural History of an Archetypal Medium Nadia J. Koch Caeruleum and the Pigments of Greek Painting: A Comedy of Mistaken Identity Simona Rinaldi The Renaissance Reception of Pliny's Atramentum PROCESSES Giovan Battista Fidanza Wood and Architecture: Pliny's Legacy in the Treatises of Alberti and Cataneo Clarissa Blume-Jung Ganosis and Kosmesis in Pliny's Natural History. On the Polishing of Marble Sculptures with Wax Emily Margaret Cook Pliny the Elder in the Workshop of Zenodorus and the Materiality of Facture in the Natural History Elena Calandra Material Substitutions. The Second Life of the Aphrodite anadyomene Anna Anguissola The Materiality of Creation. Integrity, Deception, and the Process of Art Felix Henke Gypsum, the Invention of Bronze Casting, and the Triumph of Form Maria Luisa Catoni Parian Marble and Quella che si fa per forza di levare Nikolaus Dietrich Ex uno lapide and the Meaning of Monolithic Sculpture in the Natural History VALUES Massimiliano Papini Pretia and auctoritas rerum. Evaluation of Materials and Artefacts in Books 33-37 Hilary Becker Grading for Colour: Pliny's Hierarchy of Pigment Quality Mathilde Bert Plinian Monochromy in Renaissance Italy Stefano Rocchi Corinthian Bronzes and Vases from Pliny the Elder to Pliny the Younger (In the Light of a Passage by Cicero) Lucia Faedo Gilding. Art and Technique, Vision and Morals Paolo Coen Pliny, Stones in the Natural History, and their Re-use in the Trattato of Antonio Averlino, called Filarete (1462-1465) Patrick R. Crowley Factitious Gems and the Matter of Facts in Pliny's Natural History SEMANTICS Michael Squire Veritas repraesentata ? Zeuxis, Parrhasius, and the Nature of Pictorial Representation in Pliny's Natural History J rn Lang Purple Stones. Pliny on Amethysts Maria Elisa Micheli Agate: Fortunes and Misfortunes Alexander Heinemann Skin and Bone. Lala of Cyzicus and the Softness of Ivory Carlo Berardi Flawless Transparency: On Rock Crystal and its Fortune in the Middle Ages POSTFACE Irving Lavin Pliny's History of Materials and its Readers:From ex uno lapide to Bernini's figura serpentinata PLATES INDICES Index of passages from the Natural History Index of Greek and Latin sources Index of relevant names and places List of contributors‎