ABSTRACT
The ceilings of the Cappella Palatina were decorated by Muslim artists who probably trained in FāÐimid Egypt before coming to Norman Palermo in c. 1140. Most of the figural scenes belong to the traditional Islamic palatial cycle. Less than 10% of them have been attributed to a variety of Christian sources, and were presumably commissioned by the Norman patron or his agents. Four groups of Christian scenes, derived principally from Romanesque models, are discussed, and their likely impact upon the newly arrived Muslim artists is imagined, as they were set to work alongside other immigrant artisans to create the visual aspect of King Roger’s new monarchy, the most characteristic feature of which was the deliberate and polemical juxtaposition of the three cultures of his kingdom — Arabic, Greek and Latin.
