Persephone and Hades
Finely adorned ceramic heads, adorned with brilliant and vivid colors, where the meticulous attention to painted details and the high-quality ceramics employed contribute to the inimitable and exclusive value of this artwork.
The Legend. A tale of love, jealousy, and vengeance, harking back to approximately the year 1000, during the Moorish dominion in Sicily. This narrative unfolds in the historic quarter of Palermo known as Kalsa.
Inhabiting this locale was a resplendent young woman who bewitched a Moor to such an extent that he sought to demonstrate his uncontrollable love. Unbeknownst to her, he harbored a profound secret—his impending return to the East, where a wife and children awaited him.
Stung by wounded pride and feeling betrayed by the one she believed to be her true love, she meticulously devised her revenge. Under the shroud of night, she took his life and severed his head, thus ensuring her beloved would remain with her eternally. This macabre act gave rise to the moniker 'testa di moro' or 'testa di turco' (Moor's head). She ingeniously repurposed his severed head into a vessel, in which she cultivated basil—a plant intrinsically bound to divine symbolism and forever associated with sanctity. Legend has it that, from that moment on, the basil flourished, nourished by the tears of the young maiden.
Yet, the allure of this plant ignited envy among other denizens of the neighborhood. Consequently, they commissioned skilled artisans to craft terracotta vases, each meticulously fashioned in the likeness of a Moor's head.
- Material: Ceramic
- Dimensions: H 45 cm / W 20 cm / D 15 cm
