Happy evening!
I managed to get a copy of Storia del Costume in Italia (mentioned in earlier
post) in on Inter Library Loan, and have had a bit of time to work my way
through some of the Italian. I thought you might like to read what I have
translated on the section on jewelry. This book has a chapter for each century,
and this is for the 12th. The Italian is quoted below the English since I am only
just starting to try to translate this language. I have also left out the
footnotes, but you may be able to get a sense of what type of information is
included in the 6 volume set of books. I am quoting from volume 2, page 204.
Again we have period reference to earrings and necklaces, although they seem to
be Sicilian (go Nancy, go!)
Katrine
Jewelry. There was a great passion
for jewels and gold. Venice, Pisa and Genoa imported jewels from the Orient,
and exported them again, especially to England: besides pearls are found
recorded emeralds, sapphires, carbuncles (perhaps rubies or diamonds). In Trapani
was a flourishing commerce in coral that abounded in the sea, as we are informed
by Beniamino di Tudela. Besides embroideries of pearl and gold, crowns of gold,
buckles, clasps, they also wore necklaces and rings. The Arab poets writing in Sicily
make gracious descriptions of the necklaces. Thus Ibn-Giubair tells of the
royal palaces surrounding Palermo: “how jewels surround the necks of the
girls as on their bosoms”. And Muhammad-ibn’Isa, in a characteristically
pompous Arab style, makes a comparison in a letter to a friend of “a
necklace of rubies, pearls and other precious stones”. A poet sends for
his lady “chrysolite mounted in thin silver and a coronet with vermillion
horn” (coral? KB), and we are able to be certain that at least Sicilian
women, following the oriental example, decorated their rosy ears with gems, as
another poet presents his beloved as a “gazelle adorned with
earrings”.
There is frequent enough mention of rings: in Venice in 1130, Dortea di Petro
Stagnario gives a receipt to one Dobramiro Dalmatino for a ring that was given
to him by her father. Ugo Falcando gives a dramatic confirmation of the use of
rings by telling that during an uprising wretched rebels sacked the royal palace
and particularly appropriated gems and rings, for reason of their high value,
and the advantage of occupying little space. Mention of goldsmiths are also recorded
in the documents of the time.
Gioielli. Grande era la passione per le gioie e per l’oro.
I Veneti, is Pisani e i Genovesi importavano le gioie dall’Oriente, anche per riesportarle,
specialment in Inghilterra: oltre alle perle si trovano ricordati gli smeraldi,
gli zaffiri, il charbunculum (forse il rubino or il diamante). A Trapani era fiorente
il commercio del corallo che abbondava in quel mare, come ci informa Beniamino
di Tudela. Oltre ai ricami di perle e d’oro e alle corone auree, alle fibbie, ai
fermagli, si portavano anche collane e anelli. Negli scritti di poeti arabi
della Sicilia graziose comparazioni sono suggerite dalle collane. Cosí Ibn-Giubair
dice che i palazzi reali circondano Palermo “come monili congono i colli
delle ragazze dal seno ricolmo” (261) e Muhammad-ibn’Isà, con
l’ampollosità caratteristica degli Arabi, paragona le lettere d’un amico a
“una collana di rubini di perle e di altre pietre preziose”. Un poeta
chiama la sua donna “crisolito legato in lamina d’argento e coronato di vermiglia
corniola”; e possiamo esser certi che almeno le donne siciliane,
sull’esempio orientale, ornavano di gemme le loro rosee orecchie, perchè un
altro poeta con ardita immagine presenta la donna amata come una “gazella adorna
di orecchini.”
Abbastanza frequenti sono gli accenni ad anelli: a Venezia nel 1130, Dorotea di
Pietro Stagnario rilascia quietanza a un tale Dobramiro Dalmatino per un anello
a lui dato dal padre (263). Ugo Falconado ci dà una drammatica conferma
dell’uso di anelli raccontando che durante una sommossa i ribelli misero a
sacco il palazzo reale e si appropriarono particolarmente gemme e anelli che,
pur essendo d’alto valore, avevano il vantaggio di occupare poco posto. Nomi di orefici sono
speso ricordati nei documenti del tempo.
~ Katrine /
Katherine Barich
Message #828, February 22, 2003
Thank you so much,
Katrine, for that translation concerning the Italian 12th-century jewelry. It is much
appreciated!
Nancy Spies
Message #829, February 23, 2003