Recenti analisi interdisciplinari ai mosaici di Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio in Palermo

This study presents preliminary results from recent interdisciplinary investigations on the dedicatory mosaic panels of Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio in Palermo, conducted between 2022 and 2024 as part of the project Integrated Multimethodological Approach for the Study of the Mosaics of Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio. Building upon earlier research—initiated in 2016 at the University of Padua and combining historical-artistic analysis, multispectral imaging, and archaeometric sampling - the work focuses on reconstructing the complex conservation history and original placement of the so-called Dedication and Coronation panels. New glass and mortar analyses, including multispectral Hypercolorimetric Imaging (HMI) and georadar profiling, reveal evidence of extensive historical restorations, the presence of synthetic glass and stracotto, and the existence of modern support structures, confirming that both panels were detached and reinstalled. Radiocarbon dating and historical documentation suggest that the current relocation likely occurred during the Baroque interventions of the eighteenth century, though an earlier repositioning cannot be excluded. These findings reopen the debate on the panels’ original location - traditionally believed to be the lost narthex, yet potentially corresponding to their current setting - and contribute to a broader understanding of Norman mosaic production, workshop circulation, and restoration practices. The methodology demonstrates the efficacy of integrated diagnostic and historical research for defining original material configurations and mapping later alterations