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How did Byzantine influence shape the mosaics of Cappella Palatina in Palermo?

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Bird mosaic — mosaic Mosaic floor fragment from a synagogue or church, cut stone with mortar from Israel, late 5th–6th century ce; in the Jewish Museum, New York City.

The Cappella Palatina in Palermo, commissioned by the Norman King Roger II, serves as a prime example of the synthesis between Byzantine artistic traditions and Western architectural forms.12

Byzantine influence shaped the chapel’s mosaics in several key ways:

Artistic Execution: The mosaics were created by Byzantine artists, which is evident in their brilliant technique, adherence to Eastern iconographical prototypes, and the purity of the Comnenian style.1
Iconographic System: The chapel utilizes a hybrid program that blends a centralized Middle Byzantine church plan with a Western basilica. Within the centralized area, the mosaics follow the classical Byzantine system, featuring a bust of the Pantokrator in the dome surrounded by angels. As a concession to the church's longitudinal layout, the Pantokrator is also depicted in the apse.1
Stylistic Refinement: The mosaics are noted for their refined and softly curved style, which distinguishes them from the more expressive and agitated late Comnenian style found in later Sicilian works like the church at Monreale.1

While the mosaics are distinctly Byzantine, they exist within a broader, cosmopolitan architectural context that includes a Western-style basilical floor plan and a stalactite roof of Arab workmanship, reflecting the multicultural nature of Roger II’s kingdom.12