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Ancilina a Cifaludese

Shawls Cotton
Single artwork

150,00

Description by the artist

“Cuci a riti ppi lu su beddu Affiu, Ancilina a Cifaludese” (Sicilian for “she sews the net for her handsome Alfio, Angelina from Cefalù”). With this shawl I wanted to remember the fishermen’s nets. The shawl was worn by the Sicilian women who patiently waited for their fathers, husbands or children from the long and exhausting fishing trips.

Details and dimensions

Materials: Cotton
Dimensions (cm): Height 140, Width 205
Handcrafted in Sicily

The artwork in the Sicilian culture

By the Governance of Sicilian Artisan Foundation

The Sicilian shawl represents a real icon of our popular costume. Simple in its usually triangular shape, the shawl also recalls the divine triad of Catholicism. Its use, in fact, is particularly linked to religious ceremonies, giving off a strong votive nature. But, above all, here in Sicily the shawl was the symbol of amorous seal. A shawl was the gift that the mother-in-law brought on the day of the official engagement, at least until the first half of the last century. A shawl whose material it was made of was at the same time a symbol of economic position. There were woolen shawls, crocheted, and the richer the weave and the thinner the cotton, the more valuable it was.

Cefalù is a picturesque seaside village at the foot of a fortress full of history, ruins, breathtaking views and lush Mediterranean vegetation. Cefalù is one of the pearls of Sicily, with its narrow streets, the scent of the sea that never leaves you, and some of the most beautiful monuments and artistic works of the island and of the whole world. Among all, the spectacular Norman Cathedral of the twelfth century, an absolute masterpiece of the so-called Arab-Norman art.

 (photo) Cefalù, view and landscape, dominated by the fortified rock. The structure and towers of the Norman cathedral rise in the middle of the town.

(photo) Cefalù, view and landscape, dominated by the fortified rock. The structure and towers of the Norman cathedral rise in the middle of the town.

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