Moorish Heads

entirely handcrafted and decorated.

Ceramiche Sofia of brothers Intonato Nicola and Intonato Giuseppe is a company from Caltagirone (Sicily, ITALY) that produces artistic majolica. The manufacturing processes that lead to the creation of our ceramics are divided into six important phases: Turning, Drying, first firing, Glazing, Decoration and Aging.
For each of these phases, we dedicate the utmost care to every detail so that the final product is the result of a unique, inimitable and unaltered work over time.

Watch the manufacturing stages of our ceramics

The Story of the beautiful Sicilian maiden and the legend of the Moor's head
It is said that in Palermo, around the year 1100 (during the Moorish domination in Sicily, in the Kalsa district), a beautiful maiden lived in a palace and loved to spend her days tending to the flowers and plants on her balcony.

One day, a young Moor passing through Kalsa saw the beautiful girl, busy tending to her plants. He was smitten and decided he wanted her for himself. Without hesitation, he entered the girl's house and declared his love for her. The maiden, moved by such strong feelings, reciprocated the young man's love, but when she learned that the Moor would leave her to return to his lands in the East, where a wife and children awaited him, she waited for nightfall and as soon as he fell asleep, she killed him. She cut off his head, made it into a vase, planted basil in it, and prominently displayed it on her balcony.
Thus, the Moor, unable to leave, would always remain with her. Meanwhile, the basil grew luxuriantly and aroused the envy of all the inhabitants of the neighborhood. Not to be outdone, they had terracotta vases made in the shape of a Moor's head.