Moor's heads

The vase-shaped Moor's heads are very common in Sicily and are one of the representative symbols of the island.
Used as vases they adorn the balconies and gardens of homes and are often also used as a decorative element in living rooms.
The history of these subjects dates back to the Arab domination in Sicily in 1100 AD
The story goes that in an ancient neighborhood of the city of Palermo, there lived a beautiful girl who spent her days dedicating herself to taking care of the plants that adorned her balcony. One day a young dark-haired man passed by, saw the beautiful girl and immediately fell in love with her, declaring his love for her and the two became lovers.
But when the girl discovered that the Moor would leave her to return to the East to his wife and children, she killed him in the night and cut off his head. With this he made a vase where he planted a basil plant, a symbol of royalty.
She placed him outside on her balcony, so that the man would remain with her forever. The basil grew luxuriantly, thanks to the tears that the girl shed on it daily, however arousing the envy of all the inhabitants of the neighborhood who, not to be outdone, had terracotta pots built in the shape of a dark brown's head.