Currently Coveting: Anemone Sicilian Moro Heads

I’m a BIG fan of Anemone Interiors. Founder Lia Briamonte has an incredible eye for vintage, sourcing and curating the most stunning collection, with so many of her finds selling before they even hit the website. She is also a talented designer, and her ceramic Sicilian Moro Heads are to die for. My favourite is this lemon one, but they are all beautiful, and hand made in Caltagirone, Sicily, just as they should be.

Image: Anemone Interiors / Lia Briamonte

Lia says…

The Sicilian Moro Head has gone by many names: ‘Moorish head’, ‘Moor head’ or ‘Teste di Moro’ but the history remains strong.

Dating back to the 11th Century, the Sicilian ceramic head is said to have come from the story of a beautiful girl and Moor merchant falling in love after he passed her by while she was attending to the flowers on her balcony. However, he’d not told her that he already had a wife and children, awaiting his return home - upon finding out, she was seething with anger and decapitated him in his sleep. She turned his head into a vase and planted a seed of basil. The neighbours were so impressed they created their own ceramic vases resembling ahead, and with it was born the legend of the Sicilian Moro head.

Today you can still see Moro heads decorating the balconies of Sicily, despite the slightly gruesome history!

They’re the perfect decorative objet as they are, or filled with a plant or flowers too. Lia’s contemporary take on this traditional design is what dreams and modern heirlooms are made of.