THE THEORY OF THE EMBLEM BY CLAUDE-FRANÇOIS MENESTRIER

A TEORIA DO EMBLEMA DE CLAUDE-FRANÇOIS MENESTRIERLA TEORÍA DEL EMBLEMA DE CLAUDE-FRANÇOIS MENESTRIE

Avian representations from prehistoric and medieval sites on the Maltese Islands

The aim of this publication is to catalogue the avian representations discovered in local prehistoric and medieval sites, to illustrate as many of these as possible and to register a hitherto unrecorded find of a miniature clay bird from Mnajdra (Qrendi, Malta) and of a North African oil lantern with a bird emblema on its disc.peer-reviewe

Investigating the construction methods of an opus vermiculatum mosaic panel

From the third century BC to the second century AD small detailed central panels (emblemata) made using the opus vermiculatum technique were used as focal points in larger mosaic pavements. They were custom made in stone or terracotta trays to facilitate their transport and placement. Although mosaic panels in opus vermiculatum have been discovered throughout the Hellenistic and Roman Mediterranean, the location of the workshops specialising in the production of the finely worked panels is still unclear. Their association with named artists, for example Dioskourides of Samos, and the locations of finds (such as the fragments of the floor by Hephaistion at Pergamon) point to workshops in the eastern Mediterranean. A large unidentified fragment of an emblema, still in its terracotta tray, from the collections of the Department of Greece and Rome in the British Museum was the subject of analytical examination. These investigations of the tesserae (glass cubes), traces of pigments and mortar aimed to determine the raw materials and manufacturing processes for the mosaic and to characterise the nature of the application of paint to the mortar. Egyptian blue pigment and traces of hematite and carbon suggest that a fully coloured drawing was executed on the fresh mortar to guide the positioning of the tesserae. In addition, samples from the terracotta tray were taken in an attempt to identify its provenance. This contribution describes how the results of these investigations have been used to provide a deeper understanding of opus vermiculatum construction methods

The emblem tradition in Shakespeare’s plays: mirror-effects and anamorphoses

ABSTRACT: An emblem is a witty combination of various texts and one image which delivers a moral message. The emblem is an art of the gaze, the purpose of which is to lead the eye to the transcendent ideas lying behind the veil of worldly appearances. Shakespeare was obviously sensitive to the visual potential of emblems. This paper aims to show that Shakespeare drew upon the modus operandi of emblems but rejected the emblem as a fixed ideological discourse. Shakespeare used the emblem in an anamorphic way to confront the spectator with the shifting world he lives in. KEYWORDS: emblems; theater; Shakespeare.  RESUMEN: Un emblema es una ingeniosa combinación de varios textos y una imagen que esconden un mensaje moral. El emblema es un arte de la mirada cuyo propósito es conducir el ojo a las ideas trascendentes que se encuentran detrás del velo de las apariencias mundanas. Shakespeare era obviamente sensible al potencial visual de los emblemas. Este trabajo pretende mostrar que Shakespeare se basó en el modus operandi de los emblemas, pero rechazó el emblema como un discurso ideológico fijo. Shakespeare utilizó el emblema de manera anamórfica para confrontar al espectador con el mundo cambiante en el que vive. PALABRAS CLAVES: emblemas; teatro; Shakespeare.

Prólogos, recomendaciones y principios: el primer desarrollo de la proto-teoría del emblema vernáculo en Francia

[Resumen] Los primeros tratados franceses sobre Emblemática aparecieron en el siglo XVII, pero antes de su aparición muchos autores de textos emblemáticos y traducciones vernáculas habían ofrecido apreciaciones en sus paratextos (principalmente en los prólogos y dedicatorias) sobre su concepción del emblema. Como un género que emergió rápidamente, el emblema sufrió una serie de transformaciones en sí mismo, y fue imposible desarrollar una auténtica teoría del emblema no solo por eso, sino también por las presiones comerciales asociadas al intento de aprovecharse del nuevo mercado para libros ilustrados de todo tipo. Este ensayo examina el progreso de las reflexiones sobre el emblema en Francia desde los primeros tiempos hasta el período inmediatamente anterior a la publicación del Art des emblemes de Claude-François Ménestrier en 1662 y explora algunas de las razones por las que el nacimiento de la teoría del emblema en francés fue demorada tanto tiempo.[Abstract] The first French-language treatises on emblems appeared in the seventeenth century, but prior to their appearance, many authors of emblem texts and vernacular translations offered glimpses in their paratextual material—prefaces and dedicatory letters, for the most part—of their concept of the emblem. As a rapidly emerging genre, the emblem itself underwent a series of transformations, and and attempt at developing a true theory of the emblem was rendered impossible not only by those but by the commercial pressures associated with attempting to take advantage of the new market for illustrated books of all kinds. This essay examines the progress of thinking about the emblem in France from the earliest times to the period immediately prior to the publication of Claude-François Ménestrier’s Art des emblemes in 1662, and explores some of the reasons why the birth of emblem theory in French was so long delaye

William J. R. Curtis: Modern architecture since 1900. La Bauhaus como “emblema denso” de la tradición moderna

William J. R. Curtis: Modern architecture since 1900. La Bauhaus como emblema denso de la tradición modern

Erich Becker and Malta Sotteranea - exposing the achievements of a dark horse of Christian archaeology

Becker's 1913 publication Malta Sotterranea, Studien zur altchristlichen und jiidischen Sepulkralkunst- studies of Malta's early Christian and Jewish sepulchral art- is a work often quoted and sometimes even copied by authors writing on Malta's catacombs and Late Antiquity. Its value was recognised by many scholars, but to date very few have managed to fully grasp and understand it. Certainly, one does not need to understand much German to realise that his study was exceptionally thorough and methodical. But one needs to master German and German grammar perfectly in order to follow his line of reasoning - which is why many remarkable conclusions and discoveries in Malta Sotterranea were at best ignored, or at worst wrongly quoted or totally misunderstood. Ironically, it is thanks to the latter that his book never slipped into oblivion.peer-reviewe

Figurative elements in mosaics and roman painting at Algarve (Portugal)

The figurative mosaics with marine fauna at Algarve region, in the south of Portugal, are various and well known, particularly from Roman villa of Milreu. But connected to the sea there are also human representations in the mosaics of the region which, such as the marine themes, are characterized by a strong stylistic link to the Roman art of the North Africa. Recently both figurative themes, animal or human, also arise in parietal painting of the Algarve, specifically in a maritime villa specialized in fish-salting with strong North African links well attested by pottery import profile. This paper aims to explore affinities with both types of artistic representations in the region south of the former province of Lusitania, as well as to see North African links

Revisiting the Roman domus in Rabat, Malta, through a consideration of its mosaic flooring

Mosaics have a language of their own. Whether they exhibit figurative or geometric drawings, mosaics help to regulate the flow of movement within a building and often correspond to the function of rooms. Figurative mosaics were meant to be admired and discussed by the pater familias and his guests, whilst geometric mosaics decorated passage areas that did not require waiting, such as corridors and service areas. Floor mosaics can offer valuable insights into the spatial organisation within a house. This paper considers the floor mosaics of the Roman domus in Rabat, Malta, and explores how their direction, decoration, and arrangement can help to gain a better understanding of the internal layout of the house.peer-reviewe

El palacio de la Feria: Oíza, estreno en Madrid

Tras la polémica desatada por 'el ruedo' de la M-30, Oíza nos ofrece un proyecto más sereno. El edificio emblema del nuevo Parque Ferial de Madrid es un palacio de cristal con 'otro ruedo' cilíndrico en su interior