The rule of Roger II represents a zenith of Norman history in Italy. In 1130, the cosmopolitan and power-conscious ruler achieved the elevation of his dominion to the rank of kingdom. Culturally, too, his rule represents a period of prosperity. Scholars, artists, and functionaries from various cultures came together in Palermo. The royal architecture reflects the kingdom’s multicultural character. The same applies to the arts that combined forms and techniques from the Byzantine, Muslim, and Latin worlds. Chancery and administration were multilingual, literature and science from both Orient and Occident were studied and adopted. Palermo was not just a central trade centre of goods, but also of the arts, of literature and science from the entire Mediterranean region.
Southern Italy, 12th c.
Copper, Champlevé enamel, gemstones, frames
Bari, Museo Nicolaiano – Accademia Cittadella Nicolaiana
Although this crown is called the crown of Roger it is not his crown in a sense that it was used for any coronation. Insead it is a votive crown, which was used in a liturgical context. Still, this object refers to Roger’s kingship and imitates the shape of a royal crown. Roger’s coronation was held in Palermo in 1130. At this point, his kingdom, after the extinction of the male line of Robert Guiscard, also included mainland Italy. Bari, with the Basilica of Saint Nicholas from which this crown originates, was an important religious and secular centre of this region.
Southern Italy, 2nd quarter of the 12th c.
Copper, enamel
Bari, Museo Nicolaiano – Accademia Cittadella Nicolaiana
This plaque shows a coronation scene and was once attached to the ciborium (altar canopy) of the Basilica of Saint Nicholas in Bari, one of the most important churches in southern Italy since the arrival of the relics of Saint Nicolas. The scene shows the coronation of Roger II by the hand of the Saint himself and thus legitimises his kingship. At the same time, this asserts Roger’s claims of dominion over Bari. Artistically, the plaque, worked with precious enamel, combines Eastern and Western traditions. Roger is depicted in the style of a Byzantine ruler and with his insignias. Saint Nicholas wears garments that were used in the Eastern Church, but a western-style crosier.
Bari, 22 June 1132 (copy: around 1150)
Parchment
Bari, Archivio della Basilica di S. Nicola, Inv. E 14
Roger's claim to rule over the mainland territories led to several revolts, including one in Bari. The dispute was settled with the so-called "patti giurati" and a pact between the city and the king was invoked: the relics of Saint Nicholas were never to be removed from Bari and the basilica was granted special rights. Roger promised to respect the laws and customs of the city, to spare the inhabitants from collecting money and services, and not to build a fortress in Bari.
Palermo, 1130–1154
Silk, gilded silver threads
Mailand, Civiche Raccolte d’Arte Applicata ed Incisioni del Castello Sforzesco, Inv. T2132
Palermo, 1130–1154
Silk satin
Mailand, Civiche Raccolte d’Arte Applicata ed Incisioni del Castello Sforzesco, Inv. T 2127
The royal workshops in Palermo (nobiles officinae) were known for their craftsmanship far beyond Sicily. The fragments shown here are two of the five remaining remnants of the royal vestments of Roger II. After his death, these textiles had been gifted to the cathedral of Cefalù. There they were an object of popular devotion and numerous fragments of fabric were removed and taken away by visitors. As a result, only a few fragments of the precious textiles remain today.
Palermo, 28 April 1140
Parchment, dyed crimson, golden ink
Provenance: Palermo, Tesoro della Cappella, Palatina, inv. 345
Rom, Patrimonio del Fondo Edifi ci di Culto, amministrato dal Ministero dell’Interno – Dipartimento per le Libertà Civili e l’Immigrazione – Direzione Centrale degli Affari dei Culti e per l’Amministrazione del FEC
The Cappella Palatina in Palermo is considered the greatest masterpiece of Norman art and architecture in Sicily. With this Latin document Roger II founded this magnificent building. The signatures of 23 witnesses as well as the rota, the sign of the king and of his homonymous son are visible at the bottom. The usage of valuable golden ink on crimson colored parchment imitates the style of the imperial chancellary in Byzantium. Only the most important documents were executed like this.
Messina, Rogers II’s palace, 1130–1154
Marble, porphyry, Krokeischer Stein
Messina, Museo Regionale Interdisciplinare, Inv. N. 268/m (1), Inv. N. 268/l (2)
With glory, renewed good fortune, and felicity in a favourable ascendant / The stars of excellence have risen from the horizons of yonder lofty palace. (1) / O you familiars of the kingdom, enter here, for, indeed, it is the House of Eternity, [Paradise] / The dwelling of the first among kings, Roger, the pertinacious king. (2)
These two fragments are part of series of 12 inscriptions with Arabic verses which once decorated king Roger's palace in Messina. The text in verses, which once was mounted around an entrance door to the palace invites the familiars of the King to enter the palace. (Reconstruction and translation: J. Johns).
Translated text of the entire inscription
1. With glory, renewed good fortune, and felicity in a favourable ascendant,
2. The stars of excellence have risen from the horizons of yonder lofty palace.
3. O you familiars of the kingdom, enter here, for, indeed, it is the House of Eternity, [Paradise]
4. The dwelling of the first among kings, Roger, the pertinacious king.
5. Lord […]
6. […] the cooling [shade of the palace?]
7. Within it, dawn good fortune and prosperity, and felicities.
8. [In it is] a chamber, no, rather an oryx-covert for a solitary [bull-oryx] marked dusky-red
[…]
The poet thus locates Roger under a favourable ascendant. He invites the king’s confidants to enter and identify the palace as a paradise on earth inhabited by Roger, who is the earthly equivalent of the heavenly ruler. After a gap in the text, the poet imagines a room in the palace as shelter for a herd of oryx’ (large antelopes). There, a single bull with red facial markings finds refuge from his enemies. This bull represents Roger, his dark red markings reminiscent of the ruler’s brown-red hair and beard. In pre-Islamic Arabic poetry, the lone male oryx embodied the classical image of nobility and perseverance.
Cefalù, cathedral, 1130–1140
wood, multicolored set
Palermo, Galleria regionale della Sicilia di Palazzo Abatellis, Inv. 1189
Roger II started to build a cathedral in Cefalù in 1031, which he also appointed as his burial place. Just like the Cappella Palatina in Palermo various styles and artistic traditions were used creating a unique ensemble. This included Byzantine mosaics as well as a decorated wooden ceiling which was part of Arabian architecture. The painted fragment presented here is one of the few remnants of the original ceiling. The vivid colouring and the distinctive style of the decoration are still recogniseable. It shows a human figure with widely opened eyes.
Production: Faber Courtial 2010
Length: 04.50 min
Sicilian-Byzantine Mosaicist
Palermo, cathedral, 12th c.
Marble, glass, stone, gold foil
Palermo, Congregazione S. Eligio – Museo Diocesano di Palermo, Inv. 1
This fragment of a larger mosaic originates from Palermo cathedral. It is unknown if the figure was originally part of a half-figure and if it stood alone or was part of a lost Deesis (group of three figures with Christ, Mary and John the Baptist). The mosaic maybe dates to the earlier building of the cathedral (before 1185), which later was reconstructed and once was part of the Chapel of Maddalena. The chapel was furnished by King Roger’s second wife Elvira of Castile and was decorated with precious marble work and mosaic icons.
Egypt, ca. 1020–1050; here: earliest,
incomplete copy from the 13th c.
Parchment
Oxford, The Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford, MS. Arab. c. 90, fol. 32b–33a
This map is an excellent example of Islamic cartography. Because of its wealth of detail, it is one of the most valuable sources on the geography of Sicily for the 11th century. The focus of the map is on Palermo. The old city walls are drawn on the shape of a circle. Inside this representation, buildings, gates, quarters, water sources and landmarkss are indicated by arabic inscriptions.Beyond Palermo, other important cities, as well as rivers, mountains and the most important roads are marked as well.
al-Idrisi
Palermo, Middle of 12th c., here: copy of 14th or 15th
Paper
Oxford, The Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford, MS. Greaves 42, fol. 1b–2a
This description of the world and world map is based on the work of the Arab geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi, which was commissioned by Roger II. Al-Idrisis compilation is based on his own observations – he had travelled the Iberian Peninsula, North Africa, the Middle East and the southern coast of France – and on oral reports.
Originally, Roger II had the the world map also engraved on a huge silver disc which is said to have weighted about 300 pounds (ca. 150 kg), but this was already lost the 12th century. . Only few manuscripts of al-Idrisi’s work and even fewer copies of his maps have survived, but they demonstrate the knowledge and the interest in the world for al-Idrisi not only included geographical information into his work, but also physical, cultural, political and socioeconomic descriptions.
Syrakus, August 1187
Parchment
Palermo, Archivio di Stato, Tabulario della Mensa vescovile di Cefalù, perg. 25
This contract is the oldest Hebrew document that has survived in Sicily. In the text, the Jewish community of Syracuse addresses the canon regular Blasius with a request for obtaining a piece of land to expand their own cemetery. The document’s text is written in Judeo-Arabic, i.e. in a Middle Arabic language using Hebrew characters. This was the common language of the Jews in medieval Sicily.
Palermo, 1130–1153
Parchment
London, The British Library, Harley MS 5786, fol. 106v
An exceptional testimony to the multilingualism that prevailed in Sicily is this Psalter (on display is the beginning of Psalm 80). The text is written in three columns: the left one in Greek, the middle one in Latin and the right one in Arabic. None of the languages dominates the writing and all are executed with equal care. A close study of the manuscript and of the marginalia (marginal notes) leads to the conclusion that the psalter was used and annotated by an Arabic-speaking Christian.
Es ist interessant, dass jede Spalte von einem anderen Schreiber geschrieben wurde und Eigenheiten der jeweiligen Sprache berücksichtigt wurden. Der griechische Text folgt der Septuaginta, die älteste Übersetzung der hebräisch-aramäischen Bibel in die altgriechische Alltagssprache. Der Lateinische der Vulgata, die im Mittelalter verbreitete lateinische Fassung der Bibel. Beim arabischen Text handelt es sich um eine Übersetzung der Bibel von Abd Allah ibn al-Fadl Antaki aus dem 11. Jahrhundert.
Palermo/Monreale, 1154–1160
Parchment
Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, NAL 1772, fol. 2v
The Expositio Orationis Dominicae, a commentary on the Lord’s Prayer written by Maio of Bari. Maio was Cancellor under Roger II and Great Admiral (ammiratus ammiratorum) of King William I of Sicily. He commissioned this exceptional manuscript for his son, Admiral Stephen. The codex is luxuriously furnished and written in gold ink. It stands at the beginning of a magnificent Sicilian book production.
Egypt (?), 12th c.
Ivory, bronze metal frame (?), gilded
Vatican City, Musei Vaticani, Inv. 61902
Sicily/Fatimid Egypt, 1089–1121
Paper, ink
Vatican City, Musei Vaticani, Inv. MV_62427_0_0
This type of boxes from Norman or Arab workshops can be found in museums all over the world today. They were usually produces as luxurious objects for the higher social classes.They were often exported and presented as gifts to important people. Sassanid, Byzantine and Islamic influences merge on this casket. The box used to be more ornate than it is visible today. Plant and geometric elements of various kinds (in black or gold) decorated the surfaces. The interior of the box is lined with a light-coloured fabric that was sewn onto paper fragments which served as supports and which were recovered during the restauration process. The lid contained two large fragments of paper documents with Arabic texts in naskhī writing. Their content refers to legal acts concerning the transfer of ownership of “sultan’s land”.
The mention of the later vizier of Egypt, al-Afdal, together with other clues, such as the reference to Alexandria and to a judge of Alexandrian origin, make it possible to locate the production of the document in Fatimid Egypt and date it to the period between 1089 and 1121.
Sicily, 12th c.
Seidenlampas, gold threads
Mailand, Civiche Raccolte d’Arte Applicata ed Incisioni del Castello Sforzesco, Inv. T 2117
Sicily (?), 12th–13th c.
Silk, gold threads
Mailand, Civiche Raccolte d’Arte Applicata ed Incisioni del Castello Sforzesco, Inv. T 2222, 2263, 2235
The first fragment (1) features a number of decorative motifs that belonged to a repertoire used by various artists in Norman workshops. Among these motifs are octagonal stars, rotae, i.e. circles, and transenna patterns. These are also found in the Cappella Palatina and not only on textiles, but on a wide variety of materials, such as wood, painting, mosaics and marble. The second fragment (2) shows a dense network of stylised plant motifs, together with depictions of animals and a richly structured composition. From a technical point of view, the use of the refined technique of tablet weaving is remarkable. This technique was used for numerous borders of liturgical vestments made in the royal workshops during the Norman and the Hohenstaufen period.
Messina, Basilica of Santissimo Salvatore,
1134/1135
Marble, metal inlay
Messina, Museo Regionale Interdisciplinare, Inv. A 290
This font is made from a single piece of white-veined marble. The name the work of a sculptor suggests a Northern origin (Gandoulphos), and its style represents the artistic and cultural adaptability of the Normans. While the human heads reveal a northern European influence, the plant elements can be attributed to a Greek tradition. The Greek inscription refers to the patronage role that high clergymen (archimandrites) often practiced.