Publication Date
Between (525-548/1131-1154)
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Record ID
monument;ISL;it;Mon01;17;ar
Library Location
Palermo, Italy
Date
Between (525-548/1131-1154)
Notes
Ruggiero Hall, rectangular in shape, covered with intersecting arches, and on a marble base there are rich mosaic decorations, dated to the reign of Guglielmo I (ca. 565 / 1170), covering the walls and windows above the doors, and under the arches and domes there are drawings of panthers, lions, ibex, peacocks, mythical animals with the body of a horse and the head of a human, and archers among fruit trees and palm trees. In the large semicircular window are plant leaves. Copper roses and decorations complement the designs and decorations of the arches, and are interrupted by geometric shapes at their meeting points and logos containing lions and wild boars. In the middle of each arch there is a drawing representing an eight-pointed star, inside which is the Zviva eagle (which is the family emblem). At the top of the small arches we find an image of a double-headed eagle. All of these drawings and decorations were executed on a golden background. The making of the mosaics was attributed to Byzantine craftsmen. The mosaic themes and symbols were attributed to Eastern craftsmen (Arabs, Persians, and Seljuk Muslims), so Byzantine and Islamic art mixed in this hall (Ruggiero Hall), which was built inside Burgueria in the Norman royal palace, built on an old building from the Byzantine and Roman eras that was converted into a fortress during Arab rule, and then Roberto Alfuescardo and Count Rogero made it their residence in the eleventh century. Finally, Rogero II ordered it to be decorated, beautified, and expanded to become a palace for his throne. Inside this palace we find the church called the Palatina, and at one time it was a silk-making workshop established by the Arabs, and the famous cloak of King Rogero was woven there (dated 528-527-528/1133-1134, Treasure City in Vienna).
Sample Text
Pier Paolo Racioppi “Mosaic of the Ruggiero Hall in the Royal (or Norman) Palace” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;it;Mon01;17;ar
