The Medieval Kingdom of Sicily Image Database is now housed at the Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History

The Department of Art, Art History and Visual Studies at Duke University, the Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History at the University of Texas at Dallas, and the Dipartimento di Architettura dell’Università degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II” are pleased to announce the transfer of The Medieval Kingdom of Sicily Image Database to its new home at the Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History.

This transfer makes possible the continuation and further development of an invaluable digital resource for the study of the cultural heritage of southern Italy. At the time of its transfer, the database consisted of catalogue entries for over 9,000 historical images (including drawings, prints, paintings, and photographs) that document hundreds of medieval monuments in the former Kingdom of Sicily (c. 1100-1450). The database is accessible through a public website at https://koseodiah.org.

The Medieval Kingdom of Sicily Image Database was developed in 2011 at Duke University with a Collaborative Research Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Its objective was to collect and make available to scholars, students, travelers, and local communities the rich patrimony of historical images scattered throughout Europe and the United States in museums, archives, and libraries. Close study of these images enables researchers to reconstruct the history of a site, monument, or city, as well as to attest to its form prior to renovation, restoration, or destruction (especially as the result of natural disasters and bombardment during World War II). From its inception, the database was conceived as a collaboration between scholars in the United States and Italy.

With the retirement of the project’s founder, Caroline Bruzelius, from Duke University, the Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History and Associate Director Sarah K. Kozlowski emerged as the ideal partner to steward the American side of this international collaboration. On the strength of its individual scholars and collaborative research initiatives, the O’Donnell Institute has developed a strong focus on southern Italy and the Mediterranean world, as well as on digital cultural heritage practices. With the Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte the O’Donnell Institute founded the Center for the Art and Architectural History of Port Cities “La Capraia”, which will be a Naples-based platform for research for the Medieval Kingdom of Sicily Image Database project. At the Università degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II”, Paola Vitolo, who has been involved with the design and development of the database since its beginnings, will continue as co-Director (now with Sarah K. Kozlowski) and will represent Italian scholarship and contributions to the project’s future.

Current work on the database includes a comprehensive georeferencing campaign, the creation of new entries that document Arabic inscriptions from medieval Palermo, and the incorporation of material related to the ongoing projects of the team’s researchers and graduate student researchers.

The project team invites scholars, students, and the interested public to visit the relaunched website at https://koseodiah.org. Learn more about the project, its history, and our team. And follow us on Instagram at @medieval.kosid.

For the latest developments in our research, please subscribe to our email list by writing to arthistory@utdallas.edu.

Source : Medieval Art Research