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Il moro

Brooches Beads Crystal Paillettes
Single artwork

145,00

Description by the artist

I was inspired by the beautiful Sicilian legend of the Moor’s heads. Beads, canutiglia, sequins, central disc in acrylic painted canvas, crystal inserts. Back in leather. Brooch made with bead embroidery technique. Entirely hand sewn.

Details and dimensions

Materials: Beads Crystal Paillettes
Dimensions (cm): Height 5, Width 7, Depth 0.50
Weight (kg): 0.030
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) Sicilian family on a cart, XIX century

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