Cosmatesque

Cosmatesque, or Cosmati, is a style of geometric decorative inlay stonework typical of the architecture of Medieval Italy, and especially of Rome and its surroundings.

[1][2] The Cosmatesque style takes its name from the family of the Cosmati, which flourished in Rome during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries and practiced the art of mosaic.

[4] According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, this style of inlaid ornamental mosaic was "introduced into the decorative art of Europe during the twelfth century by a marble-worker named Laurentius [also known as "Lorenzo Cosmati"[5]], a native of Anagni, a small hill-town sixty kilometres east-south-east of Rome.

Laurentius acquired his craft from Greek masters and followed their method of work for a while, but early in his career developed an original style.

Freeing himself from Byzantine traditions and influences, Laurentius' style evolved into a decorative architectural mosaic, vigorous in colour and design, which he employed in conjunction with plain or sculpted marble surfaces.

"In much of his work he was assisted by his son, Jacobus, who was not only a sculptor and mosaic-worker, but also an architect of ability, as witness the architectural alterations carried out by him in the cathedral of Civita Castellana, a foreshadowing of the Renaissance.

"[6] However, an apparently 12th-century Crusader-period vertical high altar panel in what has been described as Cosmatesque style was rediscovered in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem,[7] which stood under Crusader rule until 1187, and then again at times during the 13th century.