Talk:Cappella Palatina

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Nice article. But it would be even better if it had sources. -- llywrch 16:39, 24 February 2006 (UTC)

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 29 August 2019 and 9 December 2019. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): LuisaB2428, AnthroChild.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 16:44, 16 January 2022 (UTC)

Students of Islamic Art changes (2019)

HI, we added clarifications on the Fatimid influence on the Cappella Palatina, along with more information in the nave, chapel and lead section. we also added significantly more sources to the article. — Preceding unsigned comment added by AnthroChild (talk • contribs) 20:50, 9 December 2019 (UTC)

The Muqarnas

Update (4/10/24): 1) Muqarnas in Sicily 2) Geometry 3) Art 4) Place in the Canon

The intricate and striking muqarnas still present in Sicily are a rare case of non-Islamic manifestations. They all are in Palermo, mostly in the Zisa Palace. They also appeared in Sicily rather suddenly meaning that a system as sophisticated as this one must have been imported from elsewhere. However, scholars are not confident about where this art derives from but theories range from North Africa, Egypt and Syria. Some call upon the similarities between Zirid architecture fragments from the Qal’a Beni Hammad in Algeria and the Cappella Palatina roofs as examples of North African roots. The muqarnas technique were also discovered in Tunisia. Another potential source is Syria where the earliest muqarna ceilings are from the 12th century in Aleppo. Some also believe that the designs came from the Fatimids in Egypt due to unrest in Cairo and lack of patronage for the arts. As a result, carpenters and painters collaborated with Fatimid artists who left Egypt and introduced the muqarna vaults. This is widely accepted theory despite flimsy evidence of some written correspondence between Norman Palermo and the Fatimids. There is no explicit mention of artisans or styles being traded. As a result, scholars are now turning to the existence of skilled craftsmen already existing in Sicily who existed because of the wealthy Muslim elite (book). Despite the incongruities in the origin story, it is clear that wooden muqarna vaults are different from their African / Middle-Eastern counterparts.

file:///Users/rishabh/Downloads/The_Stone_Muqarnas_Vaults_of_Norman_Sici.pdf https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/102/ https://www.jstor.org/stable/25769702?seq=4

The muqarnas ceiling surmounts the three-aisled basilica hall in the western part of the building. The ceiling represents the cultural diversity of Roger II’s kingdom and his ability to unify the land around him. Some scholars also claim that Roger had the ceiling constructed of wood to allude to Solomon’s palace in Jerusalem therefore claiming divine right to rule. The muqarnas’ iconography helps reinforce Roger and the Norman dynasty’s royalty. The art is related to the princely cycle - the Islamic vision of eternal paradise - implying that the Norman Kings were the most eminent representatives of heaven on earth. The ceiling represents the interdimensionally between Mediterranean traditions and Islamic ones demonstrated through inscriptions, iconography and geometry (book).

There is also an indication of Kufic script in the Cappella Palatina, this however, is highly debated by scholars because the inscriptions were removed later.[5] It is thought to be likely that these Kufic inscriptions were intended for the structure due to the presence of Kufic inscriptions in other structures built for or by King Roger II.[6] There are approximately 75 regal inscriptions serving as invocations of regal power. They are blessings of praise and good wishes for blessings, power, prosperity, goodness, health and beyond. The inscriptions were hard to read because of the overlying art and intricate geometry of the muqarnas. However, viewers were able to discern a word or two that could trigger a verse from the Quran (book).

The iconography of muqarnas continues to emphasize the idea of paradise in heaven and on Earth. The images refer to the pleasures and habits in the king’s court. There are hunters, drinkers, dancers and musicians that adorn the wall. However, there is no coherent narrative on the ceiling - just images (agnello). On the muqarnas ceiling’s eastern end, there is an image of revelers singing, dancing and drinking. These appear to be part of a banquet honoring the patrons of the royal chapel. Many of these drinkers hold ceremonial cups and appear in many places in the muqarnas. Then, on the 3rd register on either side of the exact center of the south muqarnas, there are two paintings of crowned rules. One of these is Roger (khan academy). There are also some Christian scenes on the muqarnas, but they portray daily life situations not necessarily religious ones. The muqarnas also celebrate battles, hunts, and all sorts of animals including elephants, deer, ibexes, gazelles and antelopes. In Arab literature, animals serve as metaphors and possess layered meanings.

The Cappella Palatina is the earliest surviving example of the use of muqarnas in wood in an architectural sense. It is likely that the construction of muqarnas construction in wood began from this building given all previous examples are made of bricks or stones (book). The wooden components are all incredibly small ranging between 1cm and 1.5cm. They are fitted together and reinforced with fiber bindings held together with animal glue. The ceiling is composed of five horizontal tiers. These make the transition between the central field and nave walls. The ceiling is set upon a horizontal cavetto molding and has longitudinal and traverse symmetry. The ceiling is composed of a central horizontal field with a star-and-cross pattern. The muqarnas have many small curved niches and are arranged in “five projecting horizontal tiers” that descend one meter from the nave walls. The eight-pointed stars are within octagons and smaller octagonal eight-pointed sears are placed between the stars and frame (agnello). There is interplay of spatial volumes and planes with bold structural outlines that bend and manipulate light. The muqarnas serve no structural purpose; they are suspended beneath the exterior roof with more wood.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________ — Preceding unsigned comment added by Rish0203 (talk • contribs) 03:43, 11 April 2024 (UTC) UPDATE (4/8/24): Rough draft of my new document. I am incorporating newer literature and the very good existing muqarnas research.

The intricate and striking muqarnases still present in Sicily are a rare case of non-Islamic manifestations. They all are in Palermo, mostly in the Zisa Palace. They also appeared in Sicily rather suddenly meaning that a system as sophisticated as this one must have been imported from elsewhere. However, scholars are not confident about where this art derives from but theories range from North Africa, Egypt and Syria. Some call upon the similarities between Zirid architecture fragments from the Qal’a Beni Hammad in Algeria and the Cappella Palatina roofs as examples of North African roots. The muqarnas technique were also discovered in Tunisia. Another potential source is Syria where the earliest muqarna ceilings are from the 12th century in Aleppo. Some also believe that the designs came from the Fatimids in Egypt due to unrest in Cairo and lack of patronage for the arts. As a result, carpenters and painters collaborated with Fatimid artists who left Egypt and introduced the muqarna vaults. This is widely accepted theory despite flimsy evidence of some written correspondence between Norman Palermo and the Fatimids. There is no explicit mention of artisans or styles being traded. As a result, scholars are now turning to the existence of skilled craftsmen already existing in Sicily who existed because of the wealthy Muslim elite (book). Despite the incongruities in the origin story, it is clear that wooden muqarna vaults are different from their African / Middle-Eastern counterparts.

The muqarnas ceiling surmounts the three-aisled basilical hall in the western part of the building. It has two parallel rows of 10 octagonal panels shaped as eight-pointed stars painted with intricate images of banquets, musicians, dancers, battles, mythological subjects, real animals, and Islamic-style decorative motifs. Many of these paintings document the pleasures and habits of Roger II’s life. There are also Kufic inscriptions for blessings in the ceiling which celebrate the “glory of the king and wish him health, wealth and power.”

The Cappella Palatina is the earliest surviving example of the use of muqarnas in wood in an architectural sense. It is likely that the construction of muqarnas construction in wood began from this building given all previous examples are made of bricks or stones (book). The muqarnas have many small curved niches and are arranged in “five projecting horizontal tiers” that descend one meter from the nave walls. There is interplay of spatial volumes and planes with bold structural outlines that bend and manipulate light. The muqarnas serve no structural purpose; they are suspended beneath the exterior roof with more wood.

________________________________________________ — Preceding unsigned comment added by Rish0203 (talk • contribs) 23:18, 8 April 2024 (UTC) UPDATE (3/3/24): I have done more thinking and would like to provide an outline for the embellished muqarnas section as well as further sources for information and images.

1) Muqarnas in Sicily 2) Geometry 3) Art 4) Place in the Canon

To deep-dive into the Muqarnas in the Capella, I first want to look at Muqarnas in Sicily in general to set a foundation. Then, I will examine the geometry - especially the symmetry of the ceilings - and explain that significance. The geometry is a relatively new focus of study for researchers and has uncovered new insights about the ceilings and Chapel as a whole. There is also a lot of art painted on the Muqarna ceilings which I want to highlight. There are some specific examples - possibly the musicians - that explain Roger II’s priorities. Finally, I will explain why these muqarnas deserve a place in the canon and what makes them truly one of one.

Sources to Consider: AGNELLO, FABRIZIO. “THE PAINTED CEILING OF THE NAVE OF THE CAPPELLA PALATINA IN PALERMO: AN ESSAY ON ITS GEOMETRIC AND CONSTRUCTIVE FEATURES.” Muqarnas 27 (2010): 407–47. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25769703.

Armando, Silvia. “THE ROLE AND PERCEPTION OF ISLAMIC ART AND HISTORY IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF A SHARED IDENTITY IN SICILY (ca. 1780–1900).” Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome 62 (2017): 5–40. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26787018.

GAROFALO, VINCENZA. “A METHODOLOGY FOR STUDYING MUQARNAS: THE EXTANT EXAMPLES IN PALERMO.” Muqarnas 27 (2010): 357–406. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25769702.

Johns, Jeremy, "Arabic Inscriptions in the Cappella Palatina: Performativity, Audience, Legibility and Illegibility," in Viewing Inscriptions in the Late Antique and Medieval Mediterranean, ed. Antony Eastmond (Cambridge University Press, 2015), 124–147

Kitzinger, Ernst. “The Mosaics of the Cappella Palatina in Palermo: An Essay on the Choice and Arrangement of Subjects.” The Art Bulletin 31, no. 4 (1949): 269–92. https://doi.org/10.2307/3047256.

Kapitaikin, Lev, "David's dancers in Palermo: Islamic dance imagery and its Christian recontextualization in the ceilings of the Cappella Palatina," Early Music Journal 47.1 (2019): 3–23.

Pier Paolo Racioppi "Painted wooden ceiling of the Palatine Chapel" in Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. 2024. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;isl;it;mon01;10;en

Skramstad, Erik. n.d. “The Arab Muslims in Sicily - Wonders of Islamic Sicily.” The Wonders of Sicily. Accessed March 3, 2024. https://www.wondersofsicily.com/sicily-arabs-in-sicily.htm#:~:text=Large%20rectangular%20roofs%20in%20wood.

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— Preceding unsigned comment added by Rish0203 (talk • contribs) 22:42, 3 March 2024 (UTC)

I am excited to do a further dive into the Muqarnas in the Capella. They are truly one of a kind and deserve their flowers! Three new sources I plan to investigate are:

AGNELLO, FABRIZIO. “THE PAINTED CEILING OF THE NAVE OF THE CAPPELLA PALATINA IN PALERMO: AN ESSAY ON ITS GEOMETRIC AND CONSTRUCTIVE FEATURES.” Muqarnas 27 (2010): 407–47. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25769703.

GAROFALO, VINCENZA. “A METHODOLOGY FOR STUDYING MUQARNAS: THE EXTANT EXAMPLES IN PALERMO.” Muqarnas 27 (2010): 357–406. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25769702.

FEIN, ARIEL. “The Cappella Palatina.” Khan Academy. Accessed February 22, 2024. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/medieval-world/byzantine1/x4b0eb531:middle-byzantine/a/the-cappella-palatina.