A testa di moro is a Sicilian ceramic head, and people buy them in pairs because the story they come from has two characters in it, and because the catalogue is built that way. Nearly every model exists in a male and a female version: same height, same decoration, same price. One head on its own is not a mistake, but it tells half the story.
The pair, though, is not a ready made package. There is no "pair" listing to drop into the basket in one go: you choose two pieces, one at a time, and they add up. The price changes, the surface you need changes, and what happens if one of them breaks changes too. Better to know before ordering.
Two heads because there are two characters
The Sicilian story has a young woman and a man who arrived from elsewhere, and it ends badly for both. That is where the two faces come from: a male one with the crown or the turban, a female one with her hair gathered and jewellery on. Anyone buying only one keeps one of the two characters at home, and sometimes only finds out afterwards.
The versions of the legend do not agree and the details change from town to town. We compared them in the piece on the origin of the symbol. What matters here is the practical consequence: the object is born as two.
How the pairs work in the catalogue
The listings say it: "pairs with the man / woman version". It means the same model, with the same decoration and the same height, exists in two versions. The 25 cm head with lemons, roughly 10 inches, exists as both man and woman, both in mother of pearl and at the same price.
Not every pair plays on gender. In the small 15 cm size, roughly 6 inches, the two pieces are a dark face and a white one, both male, in the same blue monochrome.
- Heights: the two versions are found in the commonest sizes, from 25 to 45 cm, roughly 10 to 18 inches, and on some models in the small 15 cm too.
- Price: the two pieces of one model cost the same. The pair costs twice the single.
- Basket: two listings, two additions. There is no button that takes them together.
- Ordering: it is better to take them at the same time. The decoration is done by hand, and two examples of the same model made months apart can differ slightly in tone.
Testa di Moro Lamp with Lemons h 70 cm / 27½" (ceramic h 40 cm, fabric lampshade Ø 45 cm), White Male, Blue and Orange
Buy now
Testa di Moro Lamp with Lemons h 55 cm / 21¾" (ceramic h 25 cm, fabric lampshade Ø 35 cm), White Male, Blue and Orange
Buy now
Testa di Moro with Figs h 25 cm / 9¾", Woman, Blue and Orange
Buy now
Testa di Moro Lamp h 65 cm / 25½" (ceramic h 38 cm, fabric lampshade Ø 40 cm), Woman, Blue and Orange
Buy nowHow to place them, one next to the other
Two heads are not arranged like two vases. They have faces, so they look somewhere, and the direction of the gaze is the first thing the eye reads.
- Side by side, facing front: the symmetrical answer. It holds on a hall console or at the two sides of a mirror.
- Turned slightly towards each other: a conversation starts between the two faces. It works on a long surface, much less in a tight space.
- Staggered in height: one on the furniture, one on a plinth or a stack of books. It breaks the symmetry without dissolving the pair.
- Distance: never touching. Leave at least a hand's width, or the two read as a single block.
The general criterion for where to put them in the house is in where to put a testa di moro.
How much surface you actually need
The width of a head is roughly two thirds of its height. One of 25 cm measures 18 cm at its widest, roughly 7 inches; one of 40 cm reaches 28 cm; one of 50 cm reaches 35 cm. For the pair you add the two widths and the space between them: two pieces of 25 cm ask for at least 45 cm of clear surface, roughly 18 inches, and two of 40 cm ask for about 70 cm, roughly 28 inches.
This is the calculation that most often goes wrong, because the size is read on the listing as a height and forgotten as a width. The full reasoning on height is in the size guide.
What the pair costs
Twice the single piece. They are two separate products at the same price, with no hidden discount and no surcharge. What does not double is the shipping: it is worked out per order, not per piece, and the cost is shown at checkout before you confirm.
Every shipment leaves insured. On the large formats, where the value of the pair climbs a good deal, that is the part that matters most.
If one of the two breaks
Most of the time it happens in transit, and that is the simplest situation to handle. On delivery the parcel should be checked and signed for with a reservation even when the box looks intact: without that signature the insurance claim cannot be opened. If there is damage inside, photographs by email are enough and the piece is replaced.
If it breaks later, at home, the story is different. Every piece is modelled and painted by hand, so the replacement will not be identical to its twin down to the millimetre: the tone of the glaze can shift a little, and so can the brushwork. It is the same thing we have always said about the product, that the small imperfections are what tell you the work is original. On the base of every head there is the fired signature, and a certificate travels with the piece: those are the two references that lead back to the exact model when you go looking for another.
And there is a third route, less obvious. An unpaired head is not a fault that has to be corrected. Moved on its own to another shelf, it stops being half of something and goes back to being a whole object.
When one is enough
- A narrow entrance: two heads on a 60 cm console, roughly 24 inches, smother each other.
- A first purchase: take one piece, see how it sits at home, add the counterpart later.
- Large formats: from 45 cm up, one piece already has the presence of a sculpture.
- A gift: somebody receiving a 30 cm head has a complete object, not half a present.
If you think you might add the second piece in future, write down the height, the name of the decoration and the signature on the base. Those are the three details that find the twin.
Common questions
Are teste di moro sold in pairs or singly?
Singly. Every head has its own listing and its own price, and the pair is put together by placing two pieces in the same order.
Does the pair have to be a man and a woman?
No. It is the commonest combination and the one that follows the story, but there are pairs built on colour instead of gender, for instance a dark face and a white one in the same decoration.
Do the two heads have to be the same height?
In the classic pair yes, and that is how the models are conceived. Two different heights of the same decoration sit well together, but they read as a composition rather than as a pair.
Can I buy one now and the other in a few months?
Yes. Bear in mind that the decoration is done by hand: two examples of the same model made at different times can differ slightly in tone. Ordering them together is the simplest way to avoid it.
How much space do I need to show two?
Add the widths and the space between them. Two pieces of 25 cm need at least 45 cm of surface, two of 40 cm need about 70 cm.
Where to start
If the idea of the pair convinces you, the quickest way is to open the catalogue and think in heights: the male and female versions of the same model sit next to each other. If you are still between one and two, start from the piece you like most and leave the door open for the second.
