by Ascanio Condivi
|
Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Product Description
Review
"This is a terrific book, original in conception and exhilarating in its range and sweep. Eric Scigliano effortlessly marries the vibrant and tumultuous world of "quattrocento" and "cinquecento" Tuscan politics, philosophy, and art to his own 21st-century travels in the region. Whether sketching a landscape, exploring the geology of marble, following Michelangelo from commission to commission, waxing lyrical on the curing of pork fat, or talking stonemasonry to elderly quarrymen in a Carrara bar, Scigliano is a deft, eloquent writer; the connections he makes are always surprising and often revelatory. His Michelangelo emerges as a man as much of our time and place as of his own."
"This is a terrific book, original in conception and exhilarating in its range and sweep. Eric Scigliano effortlessly marries the vibrant and tumultuous world of "quattrocento" and "cinquecento" Tuscan politics, philosophy, and art to his own 21st-century travels in the region. Whether sketching a landscape, exploring the geology of marble, following Michelangelo from commission to commission, waxing lyrical on the curing of pork fat, or talking stonemasonry to elderly quarrymen in a Carrara bar, Scigliano is a deft, eloquent writer; the connections he makes are always surprising and often revelatory. His Michelangelo emerges as a man as much of our time and place as of his own."
-- Jonathan Raban, author of "Bad Land and Passage to Juneau"
Product Description
Perhaps no artist save Shakespeare looms so large in Western consciousness and culture as Michelangelo. And it is impossible to comprehend Michelangelo without understanding his passion for Carrara's marble, with its unique capacity to simulate the warmth and vitality of living flesh, the inspiration he drew from it, and the ordeals he underwent to obtain it - a story that has not been fully told until now. Using little-known Renaissance documents and primary sources that he himself tracked down and translated, Scigliano recreates the insidious machinations of the rulers and artists of Carrara, Rome and Florence, where intrigue was raised to a high art and a Salieri-like nemesis haunted Michelangelo's traces. Scigliano takes readers into the perilous quarries above Carrara, where Dante Alighieri drew his visions of Hell and Purgatory and Michelangelo toiled side-by-side with the proud Tuscan stoneworkers, blazing new trails into the wild mountains and obsessively seeking stone equal to his genius. Throughout, the author interweaves fascinating science and history, art and architecture, even folklore and marble-based cuisine, as he explores the magic of the stone-carver's art and the triumph and tragedy of Michelangelo's Pygmalion-like quest for perfection.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
THE MOUNTAINS THAT HANG like a theatrical backdrop behind the town of Carrara form what is surely the largest trompe l'oeil effect ever shaped by human hands. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
THE MOUNTAINS THAT HANG like a theatrical backdrop behind the town of Carrara form what is surely the largest trompe l'oeil effect ever shaped by human hands. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
 |
Customer Discussions
Beta (What's this?)|
This product's forum
(0 discussions)
Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Active discussions in related forums
|
Related forums
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
The Oxford Companion to Italian...
"... impressive list of contributors ... a substantial achievement."
Read more
|
More From Eric Scigliano
Love, War and Circuses: The Age-old... 'Love, War and Circuses is a remarkable book for anyone who has ever...
Read more
|
Up to 50% off Dental Care |
Treat Someone
With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is). |
|||||||
| |||||
Your Recent History
(What's this?)|
You have no recently viewed items or searches.
After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session. |
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers
| ||||
Amazon Home | |
| International Sites: United States | Germany | France | Japan | Canada | China | |
| Business Programs: Sell on Amazon | Fulfilment by Amazon | Join Associates | Join Advantage | |
| Customer Service | Help | View Basket | Your Account | |
| About Amazon.co.uk | Careers at Amazon | |
| Conditions of Use & Sale | Privacy Notice © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates |