PULCHERRIMA RES

Man has always loved to adorn himself with beautiful objects, which have often taken on a symbolic value or become a means for demonstrating economic or political power.
This will become clear during the journey we are about to make through the world of jewellery, beginning with the first, rudimentary prehistoric ornaments, consisting of polished shells and pebbles, continuing with finds from the Egyptian, Phoenician, Punic, Greek and Roman cultures and ending with the sumptuous jewels of the Byzantine period.
The items which make up the various stages of our imaginary journey, came into the possession of the museum in the course of two centuries steeped in history, and are the result of lucky finds, shrewd purchases, generous donations and acquisitions.
Rescued from oblivion after long periods of neglect, they provide invaluable evidence, enabling us to piece together a fairly accurate picture of the use and circulation of jewellery in Sicily.
Most of the exhibits undoubtedly come from the island, although there is a lack of information about the sites and circumstances in which some items were found.

THE ORNAMENTS IN THE MUSEUM’S COLLECTIONS

The collection at the then University Museum began after numerous gold objects were found in tombs discovered in Tindari in 1842.
Thanks to the determined work of the members of the Commission for the Antiquities and Fine Arts of Sicily, many other important objects were recovered, including the necklaces from the treasury in Campobello di Mazara and the silver statuette of Diana from Taormina, acquired during one of the numerous "missions" carried out by the Commission with the intent of implementing the museum’s collection.
The Byzantine nuptial ring from Syracuse was recovered at the last minute by A. Salinas from the director of a foreign museum who had almost concluded a deal for its purchase in 1872, while in Catania and Melilli in 1880, Cavallari managed to recover ancient silver jewels found in illegal digs carried out in the necropolis of Megara Hyblaea.
The President of the Commission, Girolamo Valenza, made an important contribution by bequeathing his collection of rings and engraved gems to the museum.
Other smaller contributions came from Baron Astuto from Noto (collection purchased in 1860), from the collection of the Casuccini Etruscan antiquities (acquired in 1865 at Chiusi), from the eighteenth century museums of the Jesuit Fathers (called the Salnitriano) and the Abbey of San Martino delle Scale in Palermo, which became part of the collection after they were confiscated in 1860 and 1866, respectively.
Also worthy of note are the jewels found in 1893 in excavations carried out in the late Roman necropolis near Salemi.
Following the numerous acquisitions of the 19th century, few additions were made to the collection in the last century except for some important finds from the excavation site of the Punic necropolis in Palermo, recovered during the past fifty years.

Images: (1)