Carrettino tammureddu

A concentration of Sicily in this artwork: u tammureddu (Sicilian for tambourine), one of the typical instruments of Sicilian folklore that accompanies the tarantella, the characteristic dance of the island. U carrettu siciliano (Sicilian for cart, in this work here represented by a wheel), was the means of transport par excellence in the past centuries of the Sicilian people: both rich and poor. Basically it is a sort of wooden wheelbarrow pulled by horses. The peculiarity of the Sicilian cart was given by the sides of this structure, the sides, in which was almost always represented a scene of the Opera of the  Puppets, representation of Sicilian puppets extremely popular since the seventeenth century (the cart itself was born around that time). Also, the cart was often very colorful in all its spaces, whether it was wheels, lateral woods, rods, etc.. Even the horse that pulled it, usually festive, was harnessed with bright colors. Needless to say, its more or less artistic opulence marked its social status. In this piece also  appear  lemons, typical plant imported during the Arabic domination (IX-XI century).)

(photo): Two carrettieri (cart drivers), in the inland of Sicily ready to bring fruit and vegetables in the town