White Man Head Lamp - Caltagirone Ceramic Moorish Head 30 cm

Antiqued Moor's head in Caltagirone ceramic with a lighting lamp

It is a Moorish head in antiqued style depicting a man decorated in white and covered with a veil, also called "drape".

The ceramic head is also enriched by a very elegant and colorful face, from the orange color of the lips to the black of the moustache, goatee and eyebrows.

This wonderful Caltagironese work of art is suitable, as well as to decorate an environment making it more elegant, but also to be used as a light source, thanks to the integrated lamp above it.

The Testa di Moro is entirely modeled and decorated by hand, a symbol of excellence of Sicilian craftsmanship that tells the beauty of the traditions, myths and legends of a Sicily full of emotions.

N.B. The objects made in Caltagirone ceramics are made entirely by hand, therefore shapes and colors may undergo slight variations compared to the object shown in the photo. Each object is decorated by hand and therefore unique. You will never find two identical sculptures, and also the small imperfections are a certificate of craftsmanship of these wonderful artistic masterpieces

Head size: 19 x 30 cm

N.B. The dimensions concern only the ceramic head. The dimensions do not include the Lamp.

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.