Imported Ceramic in Italian Maritime Cities: Trade Routes, Reuse, Contexts of Reception (11th-13th Century)

Francesco De Naro Papa, M.A.

Archaeological finds from maritime cities such as Pisa, Genoa, Amalfi, and Venice demonstrate that, during the High Middle Ages, ceramic artifacts from across the entire Mediterranean basin were traded and used at the table in these centres. Furthermore, from the eleventh century onward, the practice of reusing luxury tableware in monumental contexts became widespread — either in form of bacini embedded into church facades or in form of fragments as material for inlay-works. The doctoral project investigates the import, use, and reuse of ceramic objects in Italian maritime cities. Expanding on the extant archaeological analyses, the methodology pursued here expands the perspectives on these objects by integrating art-historical, economic-historical, and transcultural approaches. Examining selected written sources, ceramic finds, and architectural monuments, the dissertation investigates trade networks and their material representation, processes of recycling and artistic appropriation, and the reception and attribution of meaning to the imported artefacts within their new artistic and socio-cultural contexts.