Antonella Cusimano

Biddizzi

Name: Biddizzi
SKU: 2928
Price: 550.00 EUR
Availability: InStock

Sculptures Clay and glazes

Single artwork

€550,00

Description by the artist

Biddizzi (Sicilian for Handsome people) wants to be a clear reference and tribute to the Sicilian tradition of “the opera of the puppets”, towards which I have always felt a sense of belonging. Sculpture like the Moor’s Head. Mixture of refractory clay type stoneware, glazes and crystals for ceramics 950 °. The sculpture has been realized with the ancient clay processing technique called Lucignolo, with the help of the Raku technique in decoration that has given the artwork metallic effects that contribute to the uniqueness of the artifact. It is made up of two parts: helmet and the head of the puppet made separately.

Details and dimensions

Materials: Clay and glazes

Dimensions (cm): Height 33, Width 23, Depth 15

Weight (kg): 4.5

Handcrafted in Sicily

The artwork in the Sicilian culture

By the Governance of Sicilian Artisan Foundation

The Moor’s Heads are a classic representation of artistic Sicily. The Moors bring us back to the Arab domination in Sicily (IX-XI century). The Muslim period lasted almost two centuries but it is the one that has left the biggest imprint, probably, in the rich history of Sicily. Not so much in the monuments (very few) but in the daily life, in the etymology of many words, in the dialect, in the uses and customs. Moors are typical figures which come into play very often in Sicilian culture as for example in the Opera the Puppets or in the legend of the Moor’s heads. They tell of a legend in which a beautiful Sicilian fell in love with an Arab at the time that they reigned in Sicily (IX-XI century), being betrayed by the Moor, she beheaded him in his sleep and hung his head, as if it were a vase, on the balcony, also adorning it with a fragrant basil plant that aroused the admiration of unsuspecting bystanders. In a certain sense, the Arabs have never left Sicily.

(photo) The Zisa castle in Palermo (Arab-Norman architecture), wall mosaics from the main hall in the palace, watercolor, 1800