La copia da calco in gesso della “Lastra di Mahdiya” esposta nel museo della Civiltà Normanna fatta realizzare dal CESN nel 2004 nel laboratorio della sezione islamica del museo Nazionale del Bardo a Tunisi ove è esposta l’originale, parte oggi per la Germania su richiesta di prestito del Musseum Zanghaus, C5 del Reiss-Engelhorm Musseum di Mannheim per essere esposta nella mostra organizzata dallo stesso museo dal titolo: I Normanni – Una Storia di Mobilità, Conquista e Innovazione che si svolgerà dal 18/09/2022 al 26/02/2023. La scheda che descrive il bassorilievo è tratta da: Giuseppe Muollo, il CESN e l’Istituzione del Museo della Civiltà Normanna di Ariano Irpino in: Trentennale (1991-2021) a cura di G. Muollo, collana Medievalia n.12 pag.100 nota 33.

About the exhibition

The history of the Normans continues to astonish and surprise to the present day: starting out as highly mobile warriors, mercenaries or minor aristocracy, Normans became powerful princes and rulers who left their traces all over Europe and beyond. Their history is a story of interconnectedness, which influenced in a long-lasting way the cultural and political development of Europe and the Mediterranean.

For the first time in such a comprehensive fashion, the Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen and their partners will dedicate an exciting exhibition project under German-French aegis to the “men from the North”. In a presentation with around 300 outstanding exhibition-pieces from more than 10 countries, the exhibition tells a multifaceted story and ties together different and highly fascinating threads of a history spanning the eighth tothirteenth centuries. Precious works of art encounter other treasures, weapons and manuscripts coming from North-, East- and West-Europe as well as the Mediterranean. These exhibits are complemented by the latest digital reconstructions which provide innovative ways of displaying and transferring knowledge.

Discover the secrets of the Normans’ success, as well as when and why these techniques failed them. Embark on an adventurous journey from Scandinavia across Europe to the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.

The exhibition is developed and presented together with the “Réunion des Musées Metropolitains” in Rouen and connected to a co-project realised by the Musée de Normandie in Caen.