From Madonnas to Myths: Alabaster sculptures from Trapani

The ancient Sicilian city of Trapani has long been celebrated for small sculptures in coral, but for around two hundred years until the early 1800s, the Trapanese sculpture workshops also made extensive use of alabaster.  The talk will present new research into alabaster sculpture from Trapani, the subjects of which ranged from small copies of the Madonna of Trapani to a hitherto neglected group of mythological and allegorical subjects.   Although they vary in quality, at their best Trapani alabaster sculptures are highly individualistic, often beautiful and, it will be argued, deserve to be much better known.