Preliminary notes on the ware depicted on the ceiling of the Cappella Palatina in Palermo

Abstract

This essay is an attempt to classify the ware depicted on the Cappella Palatina ceilings in
Palermo (mid-12th century). 250 artefacts have been identified (glasses, bowls, bottles, jugs, and
candlesticks), but due to the deterioration of some paintings and the unavailability of good
reproductions only 230 items could be drawn. It is impossible to detect with certainty what material
the ware was made of, while the decorative technique can only be hypothesised in a few instances.
The comparison of some ware depicted on the ceiling of an aisle with later artefacts may support the
hypothesis of dating the aisle paintings (or some of them) to a later period