The Palladian landscape : geographical change and its cultural representations in sixteenth-century Italy /

Cosgrove's study is an essential read for students of cultural geography, cultural history, and Italy. He interprets the Palladian landscape by deconstructing the discourses of cosmology, ecology, and economy, and their representations in art, architecture, and cartography. In this way, Cosgrove renders the Palladian landscape as a case-study of how societies transform "the natural world into a landscape expression of cultural meaning." Following a discussion of the "presentation" and "representation" of landscape, Cosgrove develops his argument spatially and systematically. Spatially, the study first considers the fabricated world of Venice and its territories, before turning to urban and rural forms, and, finally, to that of the "villa," or country estate. Arguing from the premise that landscape is the essential "signification" of a society, the study considers the role of Venetian hydrological engineering, cartography, and "world view." Copiously illustrated with some 90 paintings, plans, maps, and diagrams, the book is well served by endnotes, a comprehensive bibliography, and an efficient index. For other recent works on Palladio and landscape see Robert Tavernor's Palladio and Palladianism (1991) and Paul Holberton's Palladio's Villas: Life in the Renaissance Countryside (London, 1990). General; graduate; faculty; professional. B. Osborne; Queen's University