John Ruskin’s The Stones of Venice

Selected, introduced and read by Robert Hewison

A reading in twenty episodes, sponsored by Sovereign Films, with special thanks to Donald Rosenfeld and Andreas Roald.

Gentile Bellini Procession of the True Cross in St Mark’s Square, circa 1500

Musical excerpts from Sonata No 5 a 2 by Dario Castello (fl 1610–1620) performed by His Majestys Sagbutts & Cornetts. Courtesy of Hyperion Records Ltd, London.

Episode 1 “Introduction”

Episode 2 “The Quarry, part one”

Episode 3 “The Quarry, part two”

Episode 4 “The Virtues of Architecture”

Episode 5 “The Journey to Venice”

Episode 6 “The Arrival in Venice”

Episode 7 “Torcello”

Episode 8 “Murano”

Episode 9 “St Mark’s”

Episode 10 “St Mark’s – the interior”

Episode 11 “The meaning of the beauty of St Mark’s”

Episode 12 “The Nature of Gothic – Savageness”

Episode 13 “The Nature of Gothic – The Division of Labour”

Episode 14 “The Nature of Gothic – Changefulness”

Episode 15 “The Nature of Gothic – Naturalism and Gothicness”

Episode 16 “The Ducal Palace”

Episode 17 “The Early Renaissance”

Episode 18 “The Roman Renaissance”

Episode 19 “The Grotesque Renaissance”

Episode 20 “Conclusion”

Technical production by Stuart Eagles

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