The ambo of the Cappella Palatina in Palermo, a reduced scale of the Cefalù prototype.

Journal of Transcultural Medieval Studies, 2016

This paper presents the results of an intensive study of both historical sources and literature concerning the Royal Palace in Palermo. The study of this architectural palimpsest deals with the intrinsic difficulty in distinguishing continuity and discontinuity across a stratified overlap of medieval phases, here defined as a mimetic phase of transition. The paper aims to trace the development of the building from the Norman conquest to the establishment of the kingdom, also taking into account a possible pre-Norman phase and the transformations which occurred in the Early Modern period. Issues concerning the construction of the first Palatine Chapel are also addressed, which leads to the individuation of hidden layers of the Palace. The final part of the paper focuses on one of the most important Norman portions of the Palace: the Torre Pisana. The analysis of its medieval structure reveals its Islamic features and opens new hypotheses on its original function and configuration. Keywords: Siculo-Norman architecture in medieval Palermo; Norman Palace; Galka; Cappella Palatina; Torre Pisana

The Regional and Transregional in Romanesque Europe, 2021

In The Regional and Transregional in Romanesque Europe, ed. By John McNeill and Richard Plant, British Archaeological Association, London and New York 2021, pp. 157-169, ISBN 9780367755270.

in: Visual Constructs of Jerusalem, ed. by Bianca Kuehnel, Galit Noga-Banai, and Hanna Vorholt (Turnhout: Brepols, 2014), pp. 95-105 , 2015

The Baptistery of Pisa has long been known to be one of the most accurate medieval copies of the Rotunda of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Despite the many similarities, there are, naturally, some divergences in Pisa from the plan and section of Jerusalem as it was in the 12th century. These have been noted and seen as following the general tendency in the Middle Ages for selective copying, as outlined by Richard Krautheimer. Yet a close reading of the Baptistery's architecture, both in plan and in section, hints that the divergences are deliberate and occur only when they add symbolic value. They seem even more conspicuous in light of some previously unmarked similarities of architectural elements that coincide exactly with those in Jerusalem, but whose placing is deliberately changed in Pisa. The changed location of some elements demonstrates a reflection on their significance and symbolism. This paper analyzes the architectural elements, direct quotes and deviations, in this Pisan interpretation of the Holy Sepulchre and shows its innovation. The analysis leads to a re-assessment of the relationship between the two buildings and points to the Baptistery as a building that does not conform to the known characteristics of medieval architectural translation, but ushers in an innovative approach to the idea of copy and representation.

The second in the British Archeological Association’s series of Biennial International Romanesque Conferences was held over three days from 16-18 April, 2012 in the lecture theatre of the Botanical Gardens in Palermo. The conference was inspired by a belief that the art and architecture of the Mediterranean between c.1000 and c.1250 was susceptible to transcultural exchange to a degree that gave it a peculiar importance in Western Europe as a whole. Thus, the initial call for papers invited speakers to discuss points of contact between the Latin West and the Byzantine and Islamic worlds in the 11th and 12th centuries. This took many forms, from the widespread importation of artefacts – textiles, ceramics, ivories and metalwork for the most part - to a specific desire to recruit eastern artists or emulate eastern Mediterranean buildings. Crusading themes were important, as were commercial and artistic contacts with the southern Mediterranean, and the conference specifically encouraged offers of papers on interactions between Islamic, Byzantine and Latin cultures across the whole of the Mediterranean.

"Architectural History", 2016

The construction from 1386 of Milan Cathedral, the largest Gothic church ever constructed in Italy, was one of the most important episodes in the history of Italian and European architecture. The documentation of the late Trecento and early Quattrocento discussions over how to build the Cathedral is extraordinarily rich and extensive, and permits a consideration of the project from many points of view including the relationship between medieval architectural theory and an actual project. At the same time, any enquiry has to contend with the copious modern literature and the conclusions that have been reached hitherto – often erroneously in our view – about many of the most salient points. We thus re-examine published and unpublished documentation and the existing literature, analysing especially the format of the building's elevation, the proposals by Gabriele Stornaloco and Jean Mignot, and the drawings attributed to Antonio di Vincenzo. We also reconsider the notions of ars and scientia which have previously been misinterpreted in discussions of the cathedral documentation.

Published in _Allegorica_ 29 (2013): 52-69. From the Editor's Preface: "This volume inaugurates a new editorial program for _Allegorica_. From its beginning, the journal has featured literary and cultural scholarship that focuses on the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. In 2013, the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at St. Louis University inaugurated an annual Symposium on Medieval and Renaissance Studies. The Chair of each session was invited to nominate one of the papers from the Symposium for possible publication in _Allegorica_. Of the essays revised and submitted for consideration, external reviewers recommended six essays for publication. These essays appear in Volume 29." I thank Prof. Sara van den Berg, editor of the volume, for permission to upload this article.

2013 Digital Heritage International Congress (DigitalHeritage), 2013