Publication Date
Between 525-534/1131-1140
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Record ID
monument;ISL;it;Mon01;10;ar
Library Location
Palermo, Italy
Date
Between 525-534/1131-1140
Notes
This painted wooden ceiling in the Palatina Church, built by order of Rogero II after his coronation as king in the year (525 / 1131), is the only one in the Mediterranean region that has preserved its complete form since the Fatimid era. It is composed of star-shaped polygons, and decorated with beautiful, bright drawings executed in a Middle Eastern style, representing dancers, musicians, players, knights, wrestlers, lions, and other animals. All this is mixed with geometric and floral ornament. Around the polygons are inscriptional decorations in Kufic script, which are prayers. The section connecting the ceiling and walls is executed in the style of muqarnas, but the identity of the craftsmen who executed it remains a field of discussion and controversy: Mr. J. De Armeh (1995) believes that it exists in pre-Islamic Sasanian decoration, and it was transmitted by peoples throughout the centuries around the Mediterranean thanks to the process of trade exchange; He said: “It is possible that the artists at that time were of high culture, descendants of the conquerors of the island of Sicily, and of Iranian origin,” (this is proven by documents). He also mentioned: “Some Iranian Seljuk craftsmen came to work in Palermo at the request of the Norman king, confirming that this work did not belong to craftsmen from North Africa, especially the Egyptians.” As for J. Johannes (1995) says: “This art came directly from Fatimid Egypt at the invitation of King Rogero II. Thus, the traditional theory that says: The people who carried out the work were Sicilian Arabs, and the ceiling is the last expression of the Islamic artistic heritage in Sicily that was transferred to the Norman throne and used for political and intellectual goals.” He presented c. Johannes provides evidence of the strong political and cultural relations between Ruggiero II and the Fatimid Caliph in Cairo, relying on correspondence and gifts exchanged between the Fatimid Caliph Hafez, King Ruggiero II, and the ambassadors who brought experts to Palermo, carrying with them the rules of the arts. Although these drawings and decorations were not of a religious nature, researchers interpreted them as Islamic teachings to give them a religious color, such as the mention of the aforementioned Paradise and Hell. In the Holy Quran. Rather, it represents the daily life of the royal court (and the general life of Muslims and others: playing, drinking, music, and hunting), mentioned by C. Johannes (1995) and Origma (2004). The latter made a comparison between these drawings and those on the ceiling of the cathedral in Cevallo, which was built by order of Ruggiero II.
Sample Text
Pier Paolo Racioppi “Painted wooden ceiling in the Palatina Church” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;it;Mon01;10;ar
