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`The most fascinating account of how our treatment of dead bodies has changed over time. It's illustrated with fabulous pictures of skeletons in every possible dress. A reflection on life as well as death.' --Evening Standard
`The extraordinary displays of human bones in Europe's charnel houses may now seem utterly bewildering to us, but The Empire of Death reveals fascinating insights into these misunderstood religious monuments.' --Metro
`Death can be so beautiful. That's what comes over most powerfully in this cultural history of charnel houses lovingly produced by art historian Paul Koudounaris' --Time Out London
`Death has never been more becoming than in Paul Koudounaris' new book.'
--LOVE Magazine Online
'Fascinating ... extraordinary' --AnOther Magazine
'A jaw-dropping collection of images and insights into ancient religious masterpieces'
--Dazed & Confused
'Impressive and readable ... an excellent memento mori for our age and a work which is the result of considerable endeavour by the author'
--The Historical Association
`The extraordinary displays of human bones in Europe's charnel houses may now seem utterly bewildering to us, but The Empire of Death reveals fascinating insights into these misunderstood religious monuments.' --Metro
`Death can be so beautiful. That's what comes over most powerfully in this cultural history of charnel houses lovingly produced by art historian Paul Koudounaris' --Time Out London
`Death has never been more becoming than in Paul Koudounaris' new book.'
--LOVE Magazine Online
'Fascinating ... extraordinary' --AnOther Magazine
'A jaw-dropping collection of images and insights into ancient religious masterpieces'
--Dazed & Confused
'Impressive and readable ... an excellent memento mori for our age and a work which is the result of considerable endeavour by the author'
--The Historical Association
Product Description
In this tour de force of original cultural history, Paul Koudounaris takes the reader on an unprecedented international tour of macabre and devotional architectural masterpieces in nearly 20 countries. This is the first book to bring together the worlds most important charnel sites, ranging from the crypts of the Capuchin monasteries in Italy and the skull-encrusted columns of the ossuary in Évora in Portugal, to the strange tomb of a 1960s wealthy Peruvian nobleman decorated with the exhumed skeletons of his Spanish ancestors. Illustrated with specially taken photographs of sites rarely open to the public and forgotten archive images of others long destroyed, this mesmerising, shocking and deeply moving book is an essential memento mori for our modern age.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I randomly came across this book on one of my regular 'new title' hunts. What attracted me to it primarily was the grand title, 'The Empire of Death' coupled with the shroud like black cover with gold embossed border and typography.
The book is beautiful primarily because it understands the interest of the reader - the morbid, Giger'esque underground palace atriums lined with the bones of thousands of human beings. There is a reason why the phrase: "a picture is worth a thousand words," and this publication strikes a very delicate balance between double spreads, full and half page photography of various elements of these strange skeletal constructions, whilst providing in-depth history and annotation very cleanly presented alongside it.
A must have for those fascinated by culture, human behaviour, baroque-religious iconography and quality publication design.
The book is beautiful primarily because it understands the interest of the reader - the morbid, Giger'esque underground palace atriums lined with the bones of thousands of human beings. There is a reason why the phrase: "a picture is worth a thousand words," and this publication strikes a very delicate balance between double spreads, full and half page photography of various elements of these strange skeletal constructions, whilst providing in-depth history and annotation very cleanly presented alongside it.
A must have for those fascinated by culture, human behaviour, baroque-religious iconography and quality publication design.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a great book. It has incredible aesthetic appeal and is well-written and concise. It has something important to offer to people who are interested in the macabre art, architecture, history, and religion--in short, it crosses many different disciplinary lines, which I think is the hallmark of really good research. The photographs take something that could be morbid, but render it as something I often found beautiful. As for the previous reviewer's critique which downgraded the book because the type font was "too small," I certainly had no problem reading it. I used to work in graphic design, and I can tell that this was a custom type font that was deliberately sized and stylized to fit the subject matter and give the book's layout a more archaic feel--I certainly would not change the font, it's lovely.
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
this is a detailed text and image cover of a rarely reported subject. the keeping and display of bones was a vital part of our history and this text elegantly illustrates the art and reality.
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