La fine di un'era? L'eredità normanna della Sicilia

(1) Base and capital of King William I’s grave canopy

Cathedral of Monreale, 12th c.
Porphyry
Monreale, Museo Diocesano, ohne Inv.

(2) Fragment of a marble and mosaik wall panelling

Marble fragment with opus sectile inlays
Monreale, Museo Diocesano, no Inv.

The cultural flourishing of the Kingdom of Sicily continued under Roger’s successors. William II built monumental cathedral of Monreale between 1172–1176 and made it a new memorial site and family burial place. The base and capital (1) shown here are partof the tomb of his father William I. Like the tombs of his predecessors, they were part of a more complex monumental canopy structure with a gable roof. The material, porphyry, since antiquity was considered the “marble of kings” and coveted for its hardness and the purple colour. It can be assumed that for this columns and bases antique pieces were reused or reworked. The marble fragment (2) with star-shaped ornamental opus sectile inlays of gold glass and colored marbles as well as colored glass plates possibly also was part of the gabled roof of Wilhelm’s canopy, which was badly damaged in a fire. The ornamental central frieze is flanked by two acanthus friezes.

Cover of the Bishop of Capua’s Gospel

Palermo, 1173–1182
Gold foil, Vermicelli filigree, pearls, gemstones, cloisonné enamel
Capua-Caserta, Arcidiocesi di Capua – Archivio Storico Arcivescovile, ohne Inv.

This magnificent book cover was a gift from King William II to Archbishop Alfano of Capua. The archbishop was one of the king’s emissaries in England and responsible for the successful engagement of William II of Sicily to Johanna Plantagenêt, daughter of the English king Henry II. Together with two other diplomats, Alfano had accompanied the daughter of King Henry II of England to Palermo. Because of the outstanding quality of the cloisonné enamel, there is little doubt that the cover was produced/manufactured in Palermo and by the artists of the royal workshops.

If you look closely you can see in one of the covers (if you are standing in front of the display case the one on the right side) a little lock that was added later. This lock is a relic from a later use of this cover, when it was turned into a door of a tabernacle shrine.

Chronicle of Archbishop Romuald of Salerno

Coins from Roger II to Frederick II

The Norman rulers took over a functioning coinage system and continued to use the pre-norman mints in Sicily. The Cufic legends and the Byzantine pictorial motifs on the new Norman coins reflect the diversity of the kingdom and its continuing multiculturality. The new rulers adapted to the local tradition of the population and cultures using their language and symbols.

(1) Ducat of Roger II

Palermo, 1140–1148
Observe: „Jesus Chist rules in eternity“
Reverse: in the right field: „King Roger of Sicily,
Duke Roger of Apulia, in year ten of the reign“
Silver
Stuttgart, Landesmuseum Württemberg, MK 1995-351

(2) Tari of Roger II

Palermo or Messina, 1140–1154
Observe: in the field: „King Roger raised by god“,
circumferential: „minted in the town of Sicily in the year…“
Reverse: in the field: „Jesus Christ wins“,
circumferential: „minted in the town of Sicily in the year…“
Gold
Stuttgart, Landesmuseum Württemberg, MK 1974-45

(3) 1/3 Ducat of Roger II

Palermo, 1141–1144
Observe: in the field: „in the town of Sicily“,
circumferential: „minted in the year ...“
Reverse: „Third of ducat“
Billon
Stuttgart, Landesmuseum Württemberg, MK 1949-257

(4) Ducat of William I

Palermo, 1156
Observe: „Jesus Christ“
Reverse: in the right field: „King William“,
Middle: „hiss on Duke Roger“
Silver
Stuttgart, Landesmuseum Württemberg, MK 1949-261

Bronze follis modelled after Eastern Roman corns or gold tari (2, 10), which analogous to Arab tradition name the title, date and mint, under Norman rule were produced in Palermo and Messina as well as in Amalfi and Salerno. Under Roger II, the silver ducat was added as a currency. The Byzantine imagery is evident in the follis’ design and in the regalia of the king depicted here.

(5) Dinar of Emperor Henry VI and Empress Constance

Brindisi or Messina, 1194–1196
Observe: „Emperor Henry“
Reverse: „Empress Constance“
Silver
Stuttgart, Landesmuseum Württemberg, MK 1949-273

(6) Dinar of Emperor Henry VI and Empress Constance

Brindisi, 1194–1196
Observe: „King Henry“
Reverse: in the field: „Apulia“,
circumferential: „Empress Constance“
Silver
Stuttgart, Landesmuseum Württemberg, MK 1951-455

(7) Tercenario of Tankred

Palermo, 1189–1194
Observe: „Minted in the city of Sicily by order of the glorious King Tankred.“ – „May god make his reign long.“
Reverse: in the field: „King Tankred of Sicily“, circumferential: „The right hand of god has exalted me“
Silver
Stuttgart, Landesmuseum Württemberg, MK 1995-355

(8) Trifollaro of William II

Messina, 1166–1189
Bronze
Stuttgart, Landesmuseum Württemberg, MK 1949-267

(9) Trifollaro of William II

Messina, 1166
Bronze
Stuttgart, Landesmuseum Württemberg, MK 1949-268

The trifollari (8–9) of William II with a lion’s head on one side and a palm tree on the other seem detached from earlier traditions. These large coins as well as the new nominals were made of inferior billon (7) and were a reaction to a lack of silver. Thus, over time, also the percentage of silver in the produced denarii (5, 6, 12) decreased. These were introduced by the Hohenstaufen emperor after 1194, when Henry VI was crowned king of Sicily thanks to his marriage to Constance of Hauteville. Her name is also mentioned on the Billon coins minted in Brindisi and Messina (5–6).

(10) Tari of William II

Amalfi, 1167–1168
Observe: „King William II who wishes to be exhalted by God“ – „was minted in Amalfi in the year 563 = 1167/1168“
Reverse: in the field: „King“, circumferential: „King William II who wishes to be exhalted by God“ – „was minted in Amalfi in the year 563 = 1167/1168“
Gold
Stuttgart, Landesmuseum Württemberg, MK 1994-101

(11) Augustalis of Emperor Frederick II

Messina, 1231–1266
Observe: „Emperor of the Romans Caesar Augustus“
Reverse: „Frederick“
Gold
Stuttgart, Landesmuseum Württemberg, MK 16437

(12) Dinar of Emperor Frederick II

Brindisi, 1221
Observe: „Emperor“, in the field: „Frederick“
Reverse: „King of Sicily“
Silver
Berlin, Münzkabinett der Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin, Nr. 18209392

(13) Tari of Emperor Frederick VI

Messina, 1220–1250
Observe: „Emperor Frederick“
Reverse: „Jesus Christ wins“
Gold
Berlin, Münzkabinett der Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin, Nr. 18205660

(14) Tari of Emperor Frederick VI

Messina, 1230–1250
Observe: Apparent writing
Reverse: „Jesus Christ wins“
Gold
Stuttgart, Landesmuseum Württemberg, MK 1974-46

The gold tari (13), which still were minted by Frederick II were varying in weight but not in fineness, although towards the end of his reign their circumscriptions developed into geometric squiggles (14). He devoted more attention to his new nominal, the Augustalis (11). With a weight of around 5.3 g and a high gold percentage, this coin was meant to be on a par with the Byzantine solidus and the Islamic dinar. In the style of Roman emperors, Frederick II had his image with a laurel wreath depicted on the obverse. The reverse shows the heraldic animal of the Hohenstaufen emperors: the eagle, which was also in reference to Roman antiquity.

Frederick II’s Coronation robe, so-called Charlemagne’s Cope

Sicily, beginning of 13th c., shield and rod: Lower Rhine, 16th c.
Silk, silk and gold embroidery, shield and rod: silk and metal embroidery
Metz, Chapitre de la Cathédrale Saint-Étienne, Cl. M.H. 20 mai 1975

After the imperial coronation regalia preserved in Vienna today, the most precious surviving evidence of Norman-Sicilian textile production is this mantle. Very probably, it originally served as the coronation robe of Frederick II, who was crowned emperor by pope Honorius III in 1220. The robe’s iconography makes clear references to the empire, especially through the eagle motif. The medallions with animal symbols, the floral ornaments and the crescents opening upwards refer to an oriental tradition. The royal workshops of Palermo were famous for their precious textiles. It was not unusual that part of the regalia wer later donated to important churches. This was probably the case here and is the reason why the robe is today part of the treasure of the cathedral in Metz. The upper part of the mantle was added later, when it was made into a cope or pluvial.

Grave goods from the tomb of Constance from Aragon: (1) Plaque

Palermo, before 1222
Silver, embossed and engraved
Palermo, Tesoro della Cattedrale, without Inv.

Grave goods from the tomb of Constance from Aragon: (2) Three rings

Palermo, before 1222
Gold, granulated, emerald, pink ruby
Blue-violet stone
Palermo, Tesoro della Cattedrale, without Inv.

“Here lies the body of Constance, most revered Empress of the Romans and Queen of Sicily, wife of Emperor Frederick and daughter of the King of Aragon [...]”. Frederick’s II first marriage was to Constance of Aragon. This union had already been planned by his mother Constance of Hauteville, when he was very young. She is said to have whielded great influence on him. In the absence of her husband, Constance of Aragon took over the government of Sicily. When she died in 1224, she was buried in an ancient marble sarcophagus in the Palermo Cathedral. Among other things, a silver plaque with an inscription and five rings set with precious stones were later found in her tomb. Only the three rings exhibited here are preserved today.

Poems by Friedrich II.

Poems by Friedrich II.
Pistoia(?), 13th c.
Parchment
Florence, Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale, Banco Rari 217, fol. 29

During the reign of Frederick II, the first poetry in the vernacular Italian was written by the so-called “Sicilian School of Poetry”, in Sicily. Six poems are with varying degrees of reliability attributed to the emperor himself. Two of them are found in this manuscript: “Poi ke ti piace, amore” (“Since it pleases you, Cupid”, fol. 29r) and “Per la fera membranza” (“Because of the painful memory”, fol. 29r/v)". The main subject is love as a sensual and earthly feeling, and the man’s complete submission to a woman.

The book on falconry of Frederick II (De arte venandi cum avibus)

Bologna, 1st half of the 13th c.
Parchment
Bologna, Biblioteca Universitaria, Ms. 717, c. 125-c. 126r

Frederick II developed a special fascination and scientific interest in falconry, and he studied birds of prey and the art of hunting for over three decades. During this time, he wrote his famous work “On the Art of Hunting with Birds”. The copy exhibited here is the oldest and most complete tradition of the falcon book. It was commissioned by Frederick’s son Enzo in Bologna. Enzo spent over 20 years as a prisoner in this city. Maybe he felt some affinity to the birds living in captivity.