Country Life

The art of the pavement

HE floors of historic buildings do not normally garner much attention, so it delighted Athena that Charles III’s coronation last year highlighted the extraordinary Great Pavement laid across the sanctuary of Westminster Abbey. The King was crowned on a large slab of polished onyx at the centre of this—‘cut work’—because it incorporates cut stones. It’s also termed Cosmati, after a dynasty of craftsmen who revived this antique art form.

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