Premium TAJAN
229
-
EMBROIDED CHAPE IN REPLICA OF THE CHAPE OF ROGER II D'HAUTEV…
See original version (French)
229
-
EMBROIDED CHAPE IN REPLICA OF THE CHAPE OF ROGER II D'HAUTEV…
See original version (French)
Estimate €5,000 - €7,000
Voluntary lot
Description
EMBROIDED CHAPE IN REPLICA OF THE CHAPE OF ROGER II D'HAUTEVILLE, KING OF SICILY, OR KRÖNUMGSMANTEL CROWN COAT, 12th CENTURY PALERMITAIN STYLE
Red Damask embroidered in yellow felt appliqué and gold cord thread with a palm tree between lion and dromedary combat, edged with stylised Islamic script.
A CAPE, A REPLICA OF THE CHASUBLE OF ROGER II OF HAUTEVILLE, KING OF SICILY, IN THE 12TH CENTURY PALERMITAN STYLE
150 x 290 CM - 59,1 x 114,2 IN.
The mantle of Roger II was made around 1133-1134 by an Arab-Norman workshop in Palermo.
The coronation mantle, traditionally thought to have belonged to Charlemagne, is one of the so-called Heidelberg Regalia, where it was kept from 1424 to 1796. Today, it is preserved and exhibited in the Treasure Room of the Hofburg in Vienna. From the 12th century until the end of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, it was used to crown the sovereigns of the Holy Roman Empire.
The external shape of the coronation mantle reflects the various cultural influences that shaped 12th-century Sicily: Latin and Greek-Byzantine Christianity and Islam. The art of stylised ornamentation played an important role for both the Arab-Muslim population and the Norman conquerors.
The ornamental embroideries are manifestations of royal power: two lions represented in mirror image, each beating a camel. Between the two lions stands a stylised palm tree in the form of a tree of life. The oriental motifs, of ancient origin, have been borrowed from Islamic art. The exact meaning of the motif in the image is unclear: what is known is that the lion was often used to represent the power of the sovereign and was the heraldic animal of the Hautevilles, the Norman royal dynasty of Sicily. Most interpretations assume that the lions taming two camels symbolise the Normans' victory over the Saracens, who had previously dominated Sicily. However, the fact that the symbolic representation of Arabs or Islam in the form of camels is not documented in medieval sources runs counter to this idea. Astrological links have also sometimes been suspected. William Tronzo suggests that the embroidery is part of a Norman visual vocabulary and that the representation on the coat can be interpreted as the camel being defeated by the lion, the camel being a symbol of bad rule.
On the hem of the coat is an embroidered kufic inscription of good wishes for the wearer. Although easy to read, the translation and interpretation still raise questions that have yet to be fully answered.
One possible translation is:
"[This cloak] belongs to what was worked in the royal workshop (hizãna), where happiness and honour, prosperity and perfection, merit and distinction have their seat, here in the royal workshop, which can enjoy a good welcome, splendid prosperity, great generosity and great splendour, fame and splendid furnishings and the fulfilment of wishes and hopes ; here, where days and nights can be spent in pleasure, without end or change; in the feeling of honour, attachment and favouring participation in happiness and the maintenance of well-being, support and due activity; in the capital of Sicily in the year 528 of the Hegira. "
The inscription is written in Arabic rhymed prose, saj, which is mainly used in the Koran. The year 528 of the Islamic era corresponds to the years 1133 and 1134 of the Christian era.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like