Orange Moorish Head with Moor King and Frieze 13 cm - Sicilian Ceramics of Caltagirone

Moorish heads in Caltagirone ceramic - the Moorish King and Queen decorated in Red and Green

These Ceramic Heads depict the Moorish King and Queen decorated with a white turban with orange designs and some yellow hues. Both heads are adorned with the famous frieze, a feature of great elegance.

In addition, the Queen is also decorated with a red necklace and her face is made up with red lips and yellow eyeshadow.

The Moorish King instead is characterized by its classic black color in addition to the mustache and goatee.

The small Moorish heads in Caltagirone ceramics are a very characteristic and cute object to be used in any type of environment thanks to their minimal design due to their height but very colorful thanks to its large rainbow of colors.

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

Its dimensions are 13 x 8 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.