Description: Extremely RARE!!!!! Moor's Heads in glazed Sicilian ceramic. Product created by hand. Color: Glazed turquoise Dimensions: h.22cm. Authentic Val Demone Made in Italy 🇮🇹Moors head imprinted on back of the neck and the bottom of this Masterpiece. The name of these vases comes from the stories that revolve around them. In all the stories, always set in Sicily, the protagonists are a Sicilian girl and a dark man. One of the stories tells that an Arab soldier serving in Palermo, around the year 1000, seeing a beautiful girl on one of the balconies in the Kalsa neighbourhood, fell in love with her. The girl reciprocated his love and a passionate love story was born. Unfortunately the young soldier did not tell the poor girl that in reality he had a wife and children in his homeland. When he had to leave, he confessed the sad truth to her. The Sicilian girl, discovering all this, became furious and, hurt in her heart, devised a plan to make the young man stay there with her forever. I was captivated by them – and later, by the story. These lovely moors heads of Sicily are ever-present on this island. They perch on terrace railings and in souvenir-shop windows. They often have a female counterpart – a princess , usually who often wears a crown. But the main character in this maiden’s story is not the fair prince, but a dark, exotic Moor. The Moors were the wealthy conquerors of Sicily when this story takes place, about 1,100 years ago in the Arab quarter of Palermo. According to legend, a rich Moor merchant saw a beautiful young Sicilian woman tending her balcony garden one day. He fell in love with her and wormed his way into her heart and her bed. Deflowered and dishonored, the young maiden soon discovered the Moor planned to return to his country to be with his wife and children. On their last night together, she waited until he slept, then sneaked into the kitchen and returned to their bed with a butcher knife. She cut off his head and put it on her balcony. She planted basil seeds in the skull and soon her lush basil plant was the envy of every woman in the neighborhood. Local ceramists knew a good thing when they saw it and started making terracotta Moor’s head vases – known as Teste di Moro. (Not to be confused with another body part that she could have chopped off.) Despite the macabre details of this legend, it’s an absolutely amazing piece of hand made art that everyone will admire with a wonderful story to go along with about the Romeos and rogues of Florence. 😉 D-31
Price: 180 USD
Location: Kenner, Louisiana
End Time: 2025-02-02T09:31:46.000Z
Shipping Cost: N/A USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Brand: Handmade
Type: Vase
Color: Blue
Item Height: 8’’
Material: Ceramic
Production Technique: Created By Hand
Backstamp: Impressed
Finish: Glossy
Subject: Moor
Item Weight: 1lbs
Item Width: 6’’
Vintage: Yes
