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Ravello: An Escherian Place

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Abstract

Years ago when Doris Schattschneider was preparing her book Visions of Symmetry [9] she sent me a letter asking me if I could help to locate some Arabic mosaics she thought might be in Ravello; she had found loose sketches of them in Escher’s materials. I contacted a friend of mine, Francesco Fortunato, an architect who lives in Ravello and is a great fan of Escher, who immediately recognized the sketches by Escher. You can find the original mosaics adorning the pulpit of the Duomo in Ravello. Doris thought that it was rare to find Arabic mosaics or motifs in Ravello. In fact it is not; the Moors occupied the Amalfi coast for centuries. They are part of the history of Ravello, a place so loved by Escher; he was in Ravello many times. In particular, at the Hotel Toro it is possible to see an Escherian motif on the wall, made to commemorate his staying there.

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© 2003 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Emmer, M. (2003). Ravello: An Escherian Place. In: Schattschneider, D., Emmer, M. (eds) M.C. Escher’s Legacy. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-28849-X_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-28849-X_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-20100-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-28849-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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