Reuse value2011

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 the religious meaning of the same mosque, by Mrinalini Rajagopalan (U. of Pittsburgh); the reuse of classical gems in the Middle Ages, by Dale Kinney (emeritus, Bryn Mawr College); appropriation as an art form in postmodernism, by Donald Kuspit (emeritus, Stony Brook U.); and a refreshingly frank essay by Michael Greenhalgh (emeritus, Australian National U., Canberra) on the glib tendency of art historians to ascribe meaning to the use of spolia absent supporting evidence.