Articles, Essays, Reviews by Silvia Armando
Riscoprire un tesoro dimenticato. La Cassetta in avorio di Civita di Bagnoregio. Osservazioni pre... more Riscoprire un tesoro dimenticato. La Cassetta in avorio di Civita di Bagnoregio. Osservazioni preliminari, in Scritti offerti a Maria Vittoria Fontana dai suoi allievi.
Quaderni di Vicino Oriente XV, 2019
This paper presents an overview of the production of ivory artefacts in the Mediterranean area be... more This paper presents an overview of the production of ivory artefacts in the Mediterranean area between the 10th and 12th centuries, with some glimpses into the 13th century. The identification of possible supply methods and long-range trade routes is accompanied by a study of macro-areas: the Iberian Peninsula, North Africa-Egypt and Southern Italy. A cross-study of the sources and surviving artefacts provide a great deal of information on the availability of the raw material, but also on the possible uses of the finished objects. The variations in ivory availability are also considered in relation to great geopolitical changes, and the social level of the users is investigated. New research paths are suggested, including the study of some documents from the Cairo Geniza.
Keywords: ivory craftsmanship; ivory trade routes; Islamic Mediterranean regions; Southern Italy; Cairo Geniza
Memoirs of the American Academy 62, 2017
Before and after Italian unification, attitudes to Islamic culture fluctuated between exclusionar... more Before and after Italian unification, attitudes to Islamic culture fluctuated between exclusionary and accepting in service of local narratives, but this story is still waiting to be told. Sicily represented an essential case study, being the land that had directly experienced the protracted presence of Muslim rulers, but also a continuity in the manifestation of artistic and cultural elements borrowed from the Islamic world. Since the late eighteenth century, this legacy had undergone a gradual rediscovery: textual and material testimonies were investigated and interpreted, often connected to political and ideological circumstances. Through selected case studies, mainly referring to scholarly works and historiography, this paper traces a profile of those who looked to the Islamic past of Sicily while constructing a shared Italian identity. Was the “Arabic component” considered a local and pertinent element within the historical narrative? Did it function on behalf of local or of national ideals? Was it isolated from other periods or “components” that contributed to the construction of Sicilian history, and how did this change in relation to Italy’s unification? Was the exploitation of the Islamic element instrumental to ideological goals, or did it rather belong to the sphere of a common aesthetic?
Journal of Transcultural Medieval Studies 4, 1-2 (2017).
Research projects by Silvia Armando
by William Tronzo, Avinoam Shalem, Ruggero Longo, Francisco J. Moreno Martín, Moheddine Chaouali, Erica D'Amico, Silvia Armando, Magdalena Skoblar, Trpimir Vedriš, Patrick Geary, and Luca Zavagno
Getty seminar ‘Connecting Art Histories’: Framing Medieval Mediterranean Art. Museums and Archaeo... more Getty seminar ‘Connecting Art Histories’: Framing Medieval Mediterranean Art. Museums and Archaeology in National Discourse.
Getty seminar ‘Connecting Art Histories’: Framing Medieval Mediterranean Art. Museums and Archaeo... more Getty seminar ‘Connecting Art Histories’: Framing Medieval Mediterranean Art. Museums and Archaeology in National Discourse.
'Framing the Medieval Mediterranean' is a research seminar supported by the Getty Foundation as a... more 'Framing the Medieval Mediterranean' is a research seminar supported by the Getty Foundation as a part of its Connecting Art Histories initiative. Held in three meetings over two years at the American Academy in Rome (2014-2015), the seminar program explores the impact of national discourses on the development of medieval art history and archaeology in the Mediterranean littoral.
The role of nationalism in the preservation and presentation of medieval art and architecture in Mediterranean contexts has not yet been treated in any scholarly forum with the depth and comprehensiveness the subject deserves. And yet, national narratives fundamentally influence both scholarly discourse and public understanding. The periodization of material culture as 'Ancient,' 'Medieval', 'Byzantine', 'Ottoman' and 'Modern,' the characterization of religious change as positive or negative, even the visualization of the historical arc as one of progress or decline – are all fundamentally impacted by the ordering and categorizing activities that take place in museums and archaeological sites. These sites of presentation in turn shape the agendas of scholars as well as the ways in which the various national publics make sense of their past.
The seminar brings together younger scholars from around the Mediterranean to rethink their own research projects in light of discussions shared in the seminar. The seminar uses visits to local museums and archaeological parks in Rome and central Italy, as well as visits by local specialists, to inform its ongoing work.
Conference Presentations by Silvia Armando
Palermo, Palazzo Reale, International Conference The Palace Unveiled. The Royal Palace in Palermo and other centres of power in the medieval Mediterranean, June 2018., 2018
Poster presented at TECHNART, Catania, Monsatero dei Benedettini, April 2015, 2015
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Articles, Essays, Reviews by Silvia Armando
Keywords: ivory craftsmanship; ivory trade routes; Islamic Mediterranean regions; Southern Italy; Cairo Geniza
Research projects by Silvia Armando
The role of nationalism in the preservation and presentation of medieval art and architecture in Mediterranean contexts has not yet been treated in any scholarly forum with the depth and comprehensiveness the subject deserves. And yet, national narratives fundamentally influence both scholarly discourse and public understanding. The periodization of material culture as 'Ancient,' 'Medieval', 'Byzantine', 'Ottoman' and 'Modern,' the characterization of religious change as positive or negative, even the visualization of the historical arc as one of progress or decline – are all fundamentally impacted by the ordering and categorizing activities that take place in museums and archaeological sites. These sites of presentation in turn shape the agendas of scholars as well as the ways in which the various national publics make sense of their past.
The seminar brings together younger scholars from around the Mediterranean to rethink their own research projects in light of discussions shared in the seminar. The seminar uses visits to local museums and archaeological parks in Rome and central Italy, as well as visits by local specialists, to inform its ongoing work.
Conference Presentations by Silvia Armando
Keywords: ivory craftsmanship; ivory trade routes; Islamic Mediterranean regions; Southern Italy; Cairo Geniza
The role of nationalism in the preservation and presentation of medieval art and architecture in Mediterranean contexts has not yet been treated in any scholarly forum with the depth and comprehensiveness the subject deserves. And yet, national narratives fundamentally influence both scholarly discourse and public understanding. The periodization of material culture as 'Ancient,' 'Medieval', 'Byzantine', 'Ottoman' and 'Modern,' the characterization of religious change as positive or negative, even the visualization of the historical arc as one of progress or decline – are all fundamentally impacted by the ordering and categorizing activities that take place in museums and archaeological sites. These sites of presentation in turn shape the agendas of scholars as well as the ways in which the various national publics make sense of their past.
The seminar brings together younger scholars from around the Mediterranean to rethink their own research projects in light of discussions shared in the seminar. The seminar uses visits to local museums and archaeological parks in Rome and central Italy, as well as visits by local specialists, to inform its ongoing work.
Investigadoras do CSIC estudan as pezas medievais máis valiosas da catedral de Ourense Oito figuras de xadrez de cristal de rocha son parte do tesouro de San Rosendo.