The ruins of Rome : a cultural history / Roland Mayer, King's College London.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mayer, Roland, 1947- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Classical antiquities in art.

Architecture, Roman, in art.

Ruins in art.

Ruins in literature.

Rome (Italy)--Antiquities.

Rome (Italy).

Rome--In literature.

Rome.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xxi, 372 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, United Kingdom ; New York, NY : Cambridge University Press, 2025.

Summary:

The beguiling ruins of Rome have a long history of allure. They first engaged the attention of later mediaeval tourists, just as they do today. The interest of travellers was captured in the Renaissance by artists, architects, topographers, antiquarians, archaeologists and writers. Once the ruins were seen to appeal to visitors, and to matter for their aesthetic quality, their protection and attractive presentation became imperative. Rome's ruins were the first to be the object of preservation orders, and novel measures were devised for their conservation in innovative archaeological parks. The city's remains provided models for souvenirs; paintings of them decorated the walls of eighteenth-century English country houses; and picturesque sham Roman ruins sprang up in landscape gardens across Europe. Writers responded in various ways to their emotional appeal. Roland Mayer's attractive new history will delight all those interested in the remarkable survival and preservation of a unique urban environment.

Contents:

Ruins in Antiquity

How Rome Became Ruinous

Mediaeval Responses to the Ruins of Rome

The Watershed: Petrarch and His Successors

The Battle for the Ruins

From Topographical Treatise to Guidebook

The Ruins Visualized: Paintings and Vedute, Drawings and Engravings, Photographs

'Virtual' Rome: Rome Reconstructed-Visionary Archaeology

Remembering the Grand Tour: Paintings, Models and Other Souvenirs

Ruins in the Landscape Garden

Conservation, Restoration and Presentation of Ruins

Literary Responses to the Ruins,

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 10 Jan 2025).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781009430128

1009430122

9781009430098

1009430092

9781009430074

1009430076