Teste di Moro

  • Briseide
    $1,400.00
    $1,400.00
    $1,400.00
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  • Artemide
    $2,915.00
    $2,915.00
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  • Galatea
    $3,025.00
    $3,025.00
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  • Arianna
    from $1,005.00
    from $1,005.00
    $955.00
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  • Teseo
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    from $1,005.00
    $955.00
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  • Mennone
    $1,005.00
    $1,005.00
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  • Euridice
    $985.00
    $985.00
    $935.00
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  • Orfeo
    $985.00
    $985.00
    $935.00
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  • Penelope
    $985.00
    $985.00
    $935.00
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  • Ulisse
    $985.00
    $985.00
    $935.00
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  • Gia
    $985.00
    $985.00
    $935.00
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  • Cisseo
    $985.00
    $985.00
    $935.00
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  • Persefone
    $1,005.00
    $1,005.00
    $955.00
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  • Ade
    $1,005.00
    $1,005.00
    $955.00
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  • Andromeda
    $1,005.00
    $1,005.00
    $955.00
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  • Perseo
    $1,005.00
    $1,005.00
    $955.00
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  • Gea
    $1,005.00
    $1,005.00
    $955.00
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  • Urano
    $1,005.00
    $1,005.00
    $955.00
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  • Psiche
    $985.00
    $985.00
    $935.00
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  • Amore
    $985.00
    $985.00
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  • Elena
    $985.00
    $985.00
    $935.00
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  • Paride
    $985.00
    $985.00
    $935.00
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  • Testa di Moro Ceramic Sculpture made in Sicily Italy
    Adone
    $935.00
    $935.00
    $935.00
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  • Afrodite
    $935.00
    $935.00
    $935.00
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  • Apollo
    $675.00
    $675.00
    $675.00
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  • Dafne
    $675.00
    $675.00
    $675.00
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  • Enea
    $675.00
    $675.00
    $675.00
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  • Didone
    $675.00
    $675.00
    $675.00
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  • Piramo & Tisbe
    $580.00
    $580.00
    $580.00
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La Leggenda delle Teste di Moro
(The Moor Heads Legend)

The first story of the Moorish heads starts in the Arabic quarter of Palermo known today as La Kalsa.
Around the year AD 1000 in this area there lived a beautiful young maid with fair skin and eyes that matched the colour of the Sicilian blue sea. She led a quiet life and dedicated all her attention to her beloved plants and flowers on her balcony.

One day a young Moor was walking along the alleys of La Kalsa and looked up to the balconies where he saw the beautiful maid and fell in love at first sight. He instantly decided that without her he could not live and did not hesitate to enter her house and declare his love for her. The girl was struck with so much passion for her exotic suitor and welcomed and returned his love readily.

The couple began a passionate love affair however the young man concealed a heavy secret in his heart. One day the maid found out that the Moor would have to leave her to return to the Middle East where a wife and children were waiting for him. The heartbroken girl wailed for hours until night fall, filled with feelings of hurt and betrayal. She was then filled with such an anger that it led her to take the path of revenge.

After night fall when the Moor had fallen into a deep sleep she killed him by cutting of his head, but after doing so decided that the face that she had loved should always be by her side, so she made his head into a plant pot and placed a shoot of basil in it, basil was known in ancient times as a regal plant, thereby despite her terrible foolish deed she could continue her love for him by caring for the plant. 
Soon the maids grief-stricken tears from crying so much watered the basil and it grew big and lush arousing the admiration and the envy of other residents in La Kalsa who went to a local ceramic artist and asked for vases that looked similar.
Since that time people wanted Moor head shaped terracotta vases to plant their basil in.

Today every Moorish head that is sculpted by hand in Sicily has a crown as a remembrance of this regal plant.
Studio Medea is the unique distributor of these magnificent heads in Australia.
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