British Museum (2016) p/b 288pp £30 (ISBN 9780714122892)
Given the well-advertised cultural richness and diversity present throughout Sicily’s history, it would not be reasonable to expect that the current BM exhibition itself, or the accompanying catalogue under review, could give all aspects equal weighting. The curators and cataloguers have sensibly contextualised the two main featured cultures (Greek and Norman) with sufficient displays to represent adequately or hint at the rest. Sicily’s geographical location, equidistant from southern Europe and north Africa, and its extraordinary fecundity, made it the ‘must be conquered’ epicentre for a huge assortment of nations and cultures vying with each other to possess its fertile landscape and to rule its resourceful, ethnically and culturally enriched population.
The earliest inhabitants, according to Thucydides, were invading Homeric peoples, including the Sicani, the Elymians and the Sicels. Modern archaeology has established human presence on the island from much earlier (about 13,000 BC), represented in the exhibition and catalogue by a photograph of rock engravings, and by exhibits of pottery and stone artefacts. This native population began to be harassed from about the ninth century BC by successive waves of invaders, starting with Phoenicians, whose tenure was challenged by Greeks, who were in turn ousted by Romans, Goths, Byzantines, Arabs and Normans. In the post-medieval period emperors, kings and popes variously from France, the Holy Roman Empire and Italy vied to rule Sicily, all of them succeeding in doing so for greater of shorter periods, sometimes having a second bite at the cherry, but all, apart from the nearest neighbour, Italy, eventually being dislodged. All this history is commented on and illustrated in the catalogue, with reproductions appropriate artefacts on display in the exhibition. It is not always clear which of the artefacts illustrated are actually on display in the exhibition.
Across the exhibition itself, much use is made of photographs, some of buildings or architectural features (such as the painted wooden ceiling in the Capella Palatina) which could not otherwise be exhibited, and some, which illustrate aspects of the glorious Sicilian landscape. Most of the landscape pictures, not coincidentally, are enormous. The massive size is effective and relevant in giving a sense of place, but frankly also functions as space filler among the rather small number of exhibits. In the catalogue this is not an issue. Visually stunning double-page spreads show cityscapes and landscapes of, among others, Ortygia, Enna, and the Conca d’Oro. These spreads are complimented by over forty full-page illustrations, which dominate the layout. Few pages lack at least one splendidly chosen, and beautifully printed satellite, aerial, in situ or studio photograph, plus many clear diagrams, maps and illustrations.
The text is lively and engaging, carefully treading a path between deep scholarship and popular anecdote, liberally quoting Arabic, Norman classical and even Grand Tourist sources. In most cases, quotes in original languages are translated into English, with the exception of the oldest surviving poem in Sicilian vernacular (by Giacomo Pugliese) a portion of which is presented sans translation in one of the many helpful olive green tinted panels that pop up throughout the catalogue introducing the reader to helpful contextual historical asides.
At £30 this finely designed catalogue offers good value in historical and cultural scope, an abundance of visual delights and pleasantly readable, engaging text.
Andrew Morley