Overview

Westminster Abbey contains the only surviving medieval Cosmatesque mosaics outside Italy. They comprise: the 'Great Pavement' in the sanctuary; the pavement around the shrine of Edward the Confessor; the saint's tomb and shrine; Henry III's tomb; the tomb of a royal child, and some other pieces. Surprisingly, the mosaics have never before received detailed recording and analysis, either individually or as an assemblage. The proposed publication, in two volumes, will present a holistic study of this outstanding group of monuments in their historical architectural and archaeological context. The shrine of St Edward is a remarkable survival, having been dismantled at the Dissolution and re-erected (incorrectly) in 1557 under Queen Mary. Large areas of missing mosaic were replaced with plaster on to which mosaic designs were carefully painted. This 16th-century fictive mosaic is unique in Britain. Conservation of the sanctuary pavement was accompanied by full archaeological recording with every piece of mosaic decoration drawn and coloured by David Neal, phase plans have been prepared, and stone-by-stone examination undertaken, petrologically identifying and recording the locations of all the materials present. It has revealed that both the pavements and tombs include a range of exotic stone types. The Cosmati study has shed fresh light on every aspect of the unique series of monuments in Westminster Abbey; this work will fill a major lacuna in our knowledge of 13th-century English art of the first rank, and will command international interest. AUTHORS: Professor Warwick Rodwell, OBE, is Consultant Archaeologist to Westminster Abbey. David Neal is a senior archaeologist and archaeological illustrator; formerly Head of the Archaeological Drawing Office, English Heritage. Leading authority on mosaic pavements, his work having been displayed in numerous exhibitions. The British Museum now holds a large assemblage of his mosaic paintings.

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9781789252347

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Reviews

The two volumes comprise work of lasting quality and importance. * Church Monuments * …a series of hugely important thoughts and conclusions about the material evidence which offer a new set of narratives about Henry’s presbytery and his place as patron of the new medium — Cosmatesque mosaics. * Medieval Archaeology * With their in-depth discussions and analyses, new insights and lavish illustrations, these two volumes are a truly monumental achievement and an essential resource for scholars. * Archaeological Journal * …this is a monumental study, a work of great scholarship with breath-taking illustrations. […] an invaluable and comprehensive historical work. * Ancient Monuments Society * There is a good index, and pages are helpfully numbered consectively across the two volumes. A wonderful achievement. * British Archaeology *

...this is a monumental study, a work of great scholarship with breath-taking illustrations. [...] an invaluable and comprehensive historical work. * Ancient Monuments Society * There is a good index, and pages are helpfully numbered consectively across the two volumes. A wonderful achievement. * British Archaeology *

There is a good index, and pages are helpfully numbered consectively across the two volumes. A wonderful achievement. * British Archaeology *

...a series of hugely important thoughts and conclusions about the material evidence which offer a new set of narratives about Henry's presbytery and his place as patron of the new medium - Cosmatesque mosaics. * Medieval Archaeology * There is a good index, and pages are helpfully numbered consectively across the two volumes. A wonderful achievement. * British Archaeology * The two volumes comprise work of lasting quality and importance. * Church Monuments * ...this is a monumental study, a work of great scholarship with breath-taking illustrations. [...] an invaluable and comprehensive historical work. * Ancient Monuments Society *

There is a good index, and pages are helpfully numbered consectively across the two volumes. A wonderful achievement. * British Archaeology * The two volumes comprise work of lasting quality and importance. * Church Monuments * ...this is a monumental study, a work of great scholarship with breath-taking illustrations. [...] an invaluable and comprehensive historical work. * Ancient Monuments Society *

Author Information

Professor Warwick Rodwell, OBE, is Consultant Archaeologist to Westminster Abbey. He is the author of Canterbury Cathedral, Trinity Chapel: The Archaeology of the Mosaic Pavement and Setting of the Shrine of St Thomas Becket (with David Neal, 2022), The Cosmatesque Mosaics of Westminster Abbey: The Pavements and Royal Tombs: History, Archaeology, Architecture and Conservation (with David Neal, 2019), and St Peter's, Barton-upon-Humber, Lincolnshire: Volume 1, History, Archaeology and Architecture (2011), all published by Oxbow Books. Dr David S. Neal, NDD, D.Litt, FSA, trained in graphic design and was head of archaeological illustration of the Ancient Monuments Inspectorate, and later became Senior Archaeologist, English Heritage. He has many years of experience in the study, illustration and publication of mosaic pavements, and is joint author of the major work on the mosaic pavements in Roman Britain, Roman Mosaics of Britain (2002–2010). In 2012 he joined forces with Warwick Rodwell, to illustrate and analyze the assemblage of medieval cosmatesque mosaics in Westminster Abbey, in which they published The Cosmatesque Mosaics of Westminster Abbey: The Pavements and Royal Tombs (Oxbow, 2019).

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