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Sicilian Moor heads MORESCHE with crown in fine Caltagirone ceramic. Red background color and 17th century decoration. Entirely shaped and decorated by hand. Height approximately 40 cm. They were handmade by a master craftsman from Caltagirone who took care of every single detail to make it, as is clearly evident from the photos, a truly unique object of Caltagirone art.
Caltagirone hot signature and guarantee certificate. It will furnish a corner of your home or garden or even your shop with taste and elegance, perhaps with a plant or flowers inside.
Our dark brown heads are accompanied by elegant parchment that tells the legend.
Unique pieces
THE LEGEND OF THE MOOR'S HEADS
According to legend, around the year 1000, at the height of the domination of the Moors in Sicily, in the Arab neighborhood of Palermo "Al Hàlisah" (which means the pure or the chosen one) today called Kalsa, a beautiful girl lived her days in a sweet and solitary quiet, dedicating his attention to the loving care of the plants on his balcony. From the top of her flowered balcony, she was noticed one day by a young man, a Moor. Overwhelmed by a violent passion for her, the young Moro did not hesitate for a moment to declare his love for her. Yet the young man, who had had no scruple in abandoning himself to the sweetest amorous profusions, hid a burdensome secret in his heart: his wife and children were in fact waiting for him in the East, in that land to which he now had to return.
Hurt in pride and betrayed by what she believed to be her great love, the girl planned her revenge. So in the night, while her Moro slept defenselessly, she killed him and cut off his head so that her beloved not only could no longer return to that family, but would remain with her forever.
She decided that the face of that young man, dear to her, should remain by her side forever, and with his head she created an object similar to a vase where she placed a basil sprout inside, a plant linked to a symbolism. divine and always associated with sacredness. Finally he placed his head on his balcony, dedicating every day to taking care of the basil that grew there. Every day the young girl's tears wet the royal plant, which prospered and grew, becoming more and more florid and luxuriant. The neighbors, pervaded by the scent of basil and looking with envy at the plant that was vigorously ripening in that particular Moro's Head-shaped vase, had terracotta vases made that had the same features as the one lovingly guarded by the girl.
Today every Moor's Head that is produced bears a crown, an ever-present element aimed at re-proposing the regal plant that originally embellished the head of the young Moor who was the protagonist of the sad story.
