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Roman Mosaics of Britain, Volume IV: West Britain
by Stephen R. Cosh and David S. Neal
This volume brings to a triumphant conclusion this monumental project to catalogue, describe and illustrate every Romano-British mosaic. The area covered by the fourth and final volume in the corpus is one of the richest regions of Britain in economic as well as architectural and artistic terms and this is reflected in the quantity and quality of the region's mosaics, which include the largest figured mosaic ever found in Britain - the Woodchester Orpheus pavement - which was perhaps the inspiration for the other famous Orpheus mosaics of the Roman Cotswolds.
At the heart of this affluent region is Cirencester, Roman Britain's second largest town, represented here by more than sixty mosaics, the second-century examples being the most exquisite in the country. There are also many fine mosaics from the region's highly ornate villas, as well as from the towns of Gloucester, Caerwent and Wroxeter.
The catalogue follows the format of earlier volumes in providing an account of each mosaic's discovery and locating the mosaic within its building plan. Following the description are notable parallels and major references. Many of the illustrations are by the authors, with additional ones by Luigi Thompson, as well as photographs and historical engravings, a high proportion of the latter by Samuel Lysons whose home was in Gloucestershire where he did much of his pioneering work in archaeological excavation and illustration. Brief biographies of Lysons and all the other artists whose work grace all four volumes appear at the end of this volume.
As with previous volume the work is preceded with a substantial introduction. This deals with the history and topography of the region, buildings and rooms, an assessment of regional workshops, and schemes, ending with a consideration of mosaics in relation to the end of Roman Britain. 480p, c.500 b/w & col photographs and line drawings (Society of Antiquaries of London 2010)
The four volumes of the series are:
VOLUME I: Northern Britain, incorporating the Midlands and East Anglia
VOLUME II: South-west Britain
VOLUME III (two parts): South-east Britain
VOLUME IV: Western Britain, incorporating Wales
Review Quotes
"The integration of information and illustrations from a wide range of sources, including details of the history of excavation and the context of the
mosaics, are real strengths of all the volumes, as are the carefully thought out format and high production quality. The meticulous approach to
recording and presentation sets them apart from catalogues for other Roman provinces, such as Gaul, and they will serve as a model for catalogues produced elsewhere and for other forms of classical art. Just as the work of Lysons is still an important point of reference for the study of Romano-British art, there is no doubt that these volumes will stimulate further research and become a fundamental reference source for anyone with an interest in Romano-British villas and their mosaics."
Sarah Scott
British Archaeology
(Sept-Oct 2011)
"It is always a feast for the eyes and an important scholarly event to open a volume of the series dedicated to the corpus of Roman mosaics in Britain. The last in the series is an exemplary conclusion of a Herculean task, carried out by two respected specialists of mosaics in antiquity.
...[Taken collectively] the four volumes of the completed corpus constitute an indispensable work of reference. With over 2000 mosaics now carefully catalogued, it forms the basis for much future research."
Michel E. Fuchs
Antiquity
(December 2011)
Table of Contents
List of Donors
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Introduction: History; History of Discoveries; Buildings; Rooms; Figured Pavements; Labyrinths; Organization of the Craft; Schemes; Materials; The Catalogue; Mosaics and the End of Roman Britain; The Legacy of Romano-British Mosaics
Catalogue: Mosaics from Gloucestershire; Mosaics from Oxfordshire; Mosaics from other English Counties (Cheshire, Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire); Mosaics from Wales
Appendix I: new mosaics, additional information and errata relating to Vols I to III
Appendix II (with M J Cosh): list of artists whose works feature in all four volumes, with short biographies
Sources of Illustrations
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
Praise for Roman Mosaics of Britain series
“This is an extraordinary effort of scholarship by any standards, all the more remarkable because of the relative neglect of art in many Roman provinces. With its high production standard, lavish paintings and other illustrations, and its list of distinguished subscribers, this volume is more than a little evocative of the monumental publications of the eighteenth-century antiquaries who are mentioned at the start. But this is also a highly professional modern work of documentation which far surpasses many catalogues of classical art from the past half-century in its rigour and detail.” Antiquity 2009
“The publication of Roman Mosaics of Britain Volume I ... caused a huge stir of optimism in the field of Roman mosaic studies ... Rightly so, because this was the first comprehensive attempt to catalogue all Roman mosaic floors in Britain at an unsurpassed level of detail.” Minerva, September 2009
“The copious illustrations include many a fine antiquarian depiction ... along with the authors’ own characteristic gouache paintings, which render the mosaics in faithful colour and detail. The three volumes now out comprise a rich resource for students of Roman art, craftsmanship, architecture and social life.” Current Archaeology 231, June 2009
About the Authors
David S Neal (b 1940), NDD, DLitt, FSA, MIFA, was first introduced to Roman mosaics and archaeology at Verulamium in 1957 while studying graphic design at Watford School of Art. In 1961 he joined the Ancient Monuments Inspectorate of the then Ministry of Works as an archaeological illustrator and for almost fifteen years supervised the archaeological drawing office. In this period one of his tasks was to record mosaics found on excavations conducted, or sponsored, by the Government. From 1963 he began his own series of excavations on Roman villas in Hertfordshire and in 1975 became a full-time archaeologist with the Department of the Environment (later English Heritage). He is now a freelance consultant. He was made a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1971 and awarded the degree of Doctor of Letters for his contribution to Romano-British villa studies in 1992.
Stephen R Cosh (b 1950), BEd, DLitt, FSA, studied archaeology at Reading University before embarking on a career in teaching. As with David Neal, his interests in art and archaeology led to the study of Romano-British mosaics which he has illustrated since the 1970s, soon adopting Neal’s technique. He has written numerous articles on Roman mosaics, particularly the study of regional groups. He was Honorary Secretary of ASPROM (the Association for the Study and Preservation of Roman Mosaics) from 1993 until 2007 and is currently its Editor. In 2002 he was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and in 2006 Reading University conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Letters. The authors formally agreed to collaborate on the corpus in 1993.
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