STEPPING ACROSS THE MEDITERRANEAN: CONSERVATION OF A PAIR OF PONTIFICAL SANDALS OF THE THIRTEENTH CENTURY AD

Abstract

This contribution deals with a pair of historical leather shoes, well preserved and richly decorated with arabesque motifs, which belong to the municipal collections of Castel St Elia (near Rome). The Latin world 'sandalia' usually refers to particular liturgical shoes worn by the bishop on special occasions. A few other examples from the same historical period have survived in different parts of Europe. These objects are considered an outstanding example of the cultural and artistic interactions between Sicily and Ayyubid Egypt in the thirteenth century. Both manufacturing technology and decoration are extremely refined and seem to descend from the Coptic tradition of shoe-making. Our contribution will focus on the conservation treatment recently carried out together with scientific investigations and historical research. Choices and processes necessarily take into account their destination, as they will be exhibited in a new museum that the Istituto Superiore per la Conservazione e il Restauro is presently setting up.