Mosaici parietali perduti in Sicilia, VI-XIV secolo

This paper aims to account for the various instances of lost wall mosaics in Sicily between the 6th and 14th centuries. The first example—the only Late Antique one attested on the island—is represented by the hundreds of erratic glass tesserae (some with gold leaf) discovered in 1923 by the archaeologist Paolo Orsi during the excavation of the basilica in “Contrada Zitone” near Lentini (Syracuse province), together with fragments of marble plutei (chancel screens) dating to the mid-6th century imported from Constantinople. Subsequently, and as far as possible in chronological order, numerous other contexts from the Norman, Swabian, Angevin, and Aragonese periods will be considered, attested by fragments or written sources, in Palermo, Monreale and Messina. The objective of this paper is to offer a comprehensive overview, currently unpublished, of the large number of disappeared testimonies, compared to the small number of surviving ones, which are obviously much more well-known. Furthermore, where possible, reflections will be proposed on the direct and indirect links with Byzantine production and comparisons with other contexts in the Euro-Mediterranean area.