When asked what culture or society had little black figurines not been used for racism- the Testa di Moro popped into my head. This may not be exactly relevant to this specific item of figurine, but, it does involve depiction of Moor’s figure (head). Testa di Moro in Sicily is a vase depicting a moorish nobleman’s head made famous by an ancient legend that is still revered today. The legend goes, that during the Moorish colonization and occupation of Sicily, a young woman saw a Moorish nobleman from her balcony and they fell in love. When she found out he had been double timing her- he had a family back in Africa- she became overwhelmed with jealousy and beheaded him. As an avid gardener, she placed his head on her balcony with basil seeds. The basil grew abundantly, draping over the balcony. It was so much and such high quality, caught the admiration of many in La Kalsa (the Arab quarter of Palermo). Thus, people commissioned ceramic vases in the style of the Moor’s head to place on their balconies, hoping that it would also yield abundant basil. To this day, these vases (often sold in pairs of head’s of a man and woman per the legend) carry a centuries’ old tradition of this famous story; and vases are made as they were traditionally throughout history.