The Art of the Map: An Illustrated History of Map Elements and Embellishments

Yet there were frequent Byzantine БЂњrevivalsБЂ«in the city, most notably in the latter half of the fifteenth century when hostility to the cities of the mainland led to the rejection of the Classical and the Gothic. Venice wished to create an historical and cultural identity with the region of the upper Adriatic, where the Byzantines had once held dominion. The Byzantine influence had emerged earlier, in the first mosaics for the basilica of Saint MarkБЂ™s. The earliest of them, dated to the latter part of the eleventh century, were the work of Greek artists imported from Byzantium. By the beginning of the thirteenth century, however, there had emerged a distinctive Venetian school of mosaic art. The mosaic then became an essential element of Venetian cultural identity. It has been described as БЂњpainting for eternityБЂ«; the materials do not fade or decay in demonstrably historical time. Mosaics reflect the VenetiansБЂ™ passion for surface and decorative pattern, as elaborate as the lace of Burano. They embody their love for rich and hard material ...»