Moor's heads Woman Empire Style 33cm

Moor's heads in Caltagirone ceramic - the Queen of the Norman Empire - decoration 600 Black on Orange Background

It is the Testa di Moro which represents the Queen of the Normans, those who conquered the south around the year 1000, unifying the Norman territories of southern Italy with those of Sicily under a single crown.

This elegant Testa di Moro is decorated with an Orange background and is finished with black and golden details, to which a large Crown with white leaves is then added.

It is handcrafted by local artisans, who take care of every little detail and finish this beautiful sculpture with real crystal polished enamel to make it even more brilliant

Its dimensions are 19 x 33 cm.

HISTORY OF THE MOOR'S HEADS

The Moorish heads are one of the symbols that best represent the tradition of Caltagirone ceramics.

These small sculptures are often used as decorative elements to embellish houses, theatres, cinemas, but also squares and cities

Its legend has various facets, the most macabre begins in Palermo in the Arab quarter 'Al Hâlisah, today called the Kalsa, where the sultan once stayed, due to the Arab domination in Sicily.

The sultan, one day seeing a girl passing under his balcony, fell in love with her. The girl reciprocated and from here a love story was born.

But the story changed when the girl discovered that the sultan had a family and children in her country of origin, so during the night she killed him with a sword and cut off his head, which once severed she used as a flower vase on his balcony.

Another legend, perhaps more realistic, says that the girl, who was of noble origins, had a clandestine love affair with a young Arab. This love, which was impossible for the times, when it was discovered by the girl's family caused a stir, leading to the beheading of the two young lovers.

The shame of this love would later be proclaimed by posting both heads, transformed into vases for the occasion, on a balcony. The massacre, exalted by the heads placed on passers-by, would have been a warning against any other possible unseemly passion.

For this reason the Sicilian Moorish Heads are made in pairs, in memory and in honor of the two murdered lovers.