Reuse value

The common building practice of re-using perfectly good pieces of marble and other fitted and often carved pieces of stone is the subject of this fascinating group of 12 essays by an international group of art and architectural historians. The volume opens with an essay by Arnold Esch (emeritus, Deutsches Historsches Institut, Rome), who was the first to draw attention to the use of spolia as a worthwhile topic of study. Other essay topics include the complex symbolism of reused Hindu temple carvings in the Qutb mosque in Delhi, by Finbarr Barry Flood (New York U.); the current clashes over…