Gianfranco Salonia

Orlando

Name: Orlando
SKU: 7323
Price: 3200.00 EUR
Availability: InStock

Sicilian Puppets Fabric Nickel silver

Single artwork

€3.200,00

Description by the artist

Sicilian puppet in Catanese style (130cm). The artwork is made of nickel silver entirely handmade with the repoussè technique in every component.The Sicilian puppet has become an icon for the culture and tradition of Sicily, today the builders of puppets still working are less and less and the puppeteer Gianfranco Salonia wanted to pay tribute to this tradition by making the Sicilian puppets objects of value and setting up. The craftsmanship makes the puppets unique, this work that encloses tradition and beauty becomes an ornament for our living rooms, letting the puppets become protectors of our homes. Each component of the puppet is entirely handmade with the repoussè technique , the choice of materials is designed according to the puppet that you want to represent, as well as the color of the clothes, the latter enriched with gold and silver decorations to enhance the glory.
The work is available on commission. The work can be realized in about 8 to 10 weeks.

Details and dimensions

Materials: Fabric Nickel silver

Dimensions (cm): Height 180, Width 100, Depth 100

Weight (kg): 35

Handcrafted in Sicily

The artwork in the Sicilian culture

By the Governance of Sicilian Artisan Foundation

The Opera of the Puppets has made the joy of the people since 1700, when the puppeteer and his traveling theater were expected in the squares of the villages of Sicily. It narrates the deeds of the paladins Charlemagne. The main characters are Orlando, Rinaldo and the beautiful Angelica. To the cry of “Death to the Saracens” the paladins fight the Moors. To this day it remains a really exciting and fun moment to watch the exploits of these wooden puppets to which the puppeteers give life and character by acting and, at the same time, moving them from behind the scenes, while often a piano is the soundtrack to the whole thing. It should be noted that when the puppet theater withdrew from a village, the elders continued to tell the exploits of the paladins, sometimes even adding more to the story, around the conca (brazier for heating) or in the square, with friends and relatives.

Photo Sicilian puppets

Builder of Sicilian puppets

Gianfranco Salonia

"The Sicilian puppet is a work of art between history and fantasy that recalls the childhood stories of every Sicilian."

The Governance also suggests

The objective of the Governance is both to safeguard the traditions and ancient crafts of the people of Sicily, and to sustain economically the Artisans and the Artists, both the real ethno-anthropologists of the country.