A Book of Marble. The Pavement of Siena Cathedral

The Floor of the Cathedral of Siena does not only make an aesthetic impression, but is a marble book to be read in a symbolic and spiritual key: the Cathedral as an open book. Behind the figurations, behind the many precious colours, we recognise philosophical, spiritual and religious motifs, a web of symbols and allegories, characters from the Old and New Testaments, but also from the ancient world: Sibyls such as Cumana, prophets from the pagan world such as Hermes Trismegistus, philosophers such as Socrates, Cratheus of Thebes, Aristotle, Zeno of Cyptius, Epictetus, Seneca, who lead us on a journey to discover the highest values of Man of all times and all geographical areas. The large-format, richly illustrated volume leads the visitor by helping him or her recognise the various marble and narrative 'pieces' in a spectacular journey through art, but also into wisdom.