Vecchie e nuove èkphrasis: il soffitto a muqarnas della Cappella Palatina di Palermo

Abstract

The contribution focuses on the experimentation of new forms of narrative for the description of one of the most complex and precious artefacts in the history of medieval Mediterranean art: the wooden muqarnas ceiling that covers the nave of the Palatine Chapel in the Royal Palace of Palermo, whose intrados is decorated throughout with paintings. The case study well matches the conference’s theme, because a description of the ceiling dating back to the time of its construction has been preserved: between 1140 and 1150, during a religious celebration, the officiant dedicates the initial part of the homily to an ékphrasis of the chapel, with some remarks on the ceiling that covers the nave. The subjects depicted in the paintings of the intrados are not visible on-site, due to both the distance from the floor and to the small size of the painted panels; at the same time, the complex morphology of the muqarnas surfaces cannot be understood by non-specialist visitors. Experimentation with new forms of digital narration therefore aims to display the paintings and reveal the complex morphological and constructive structure of this artefact. The new proposed forms of èkphrasis are one video, for remote dissemination and fruition, and an augmented reality application, designed for on-site fruition, that uses the most up-to-date Visual Positioning techniques.