A testa di moro is a Sicilian ceramic head, and it works as a housewarming present because it is a threshold object. In Sicilian tradition it stands at the entrance or on the balcony, at the point where the house meets whoever arrives. A housewarming gift is meant to do exactly that: say that this door now belongs to somebody.
It is also one of the few gifts for a new home that does not require you to know what style the furniture is, how many glasses they already own and what colour the sofa is. It stands up on its own.
What putting a head on the threshold means
In Sicilian houses the heads have stood on balconies and in entrances for generations, nearly always with a plant in them. It is not decoration and nothing else: it is an object that looks outward, and popular tradition has always given it the job of watching the door. Somebody who has just moved therefore receives a wish with a precise content, not a generic ornament.
The meaning in full, crown included, is in the piece on what they mean. Where it goes in an entrance, and why there, we wrote in the testa di moro in the entryway.
The size is chosen on their house, not on yours
This is where a gift that lands parts company with one that ends up in the cellar. The criterion is not how much you like the large format, it is how much clear surface the person receiving it has.
- You have not seen the house: 20 to 25 cm, roughly 8 to 10 inches. Between 14 and 18 cm wide, it sits on any shelf, console or bookcase.
- You know there is a real entrance: 30 cm, roughly 12 inches, about 22 cm wide. It is seen the moment the door opens.
- A large house, a big living room: 40 to 50 cm, roughly 16 to 20 inches. At 50 cm the width reaches 35 cm and it needs a surface of its own.
- A balcony or terrace: ask first, because being outdoors has rules of its own.
A rough rule: the head should not take up more than a third of the surface it stands on. On a 90 cm console, roughly 35 inches, a piece of 25 or 30 cm is right; one of 45 cm simply fills it.
Testa di Moro with Beads h 30 cm / 11¾", Matt Moor Face, Antique Mother of Pearl Gold and Lustre
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Testa di Moro with Pomegranates h 40 cm / 15¾", Woman, Blue and Orange
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Testa di Moro with Pomegranates h 40 cm / 15¾", Woman, Green and Orange
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Testa di Moro with Lemons h 40 cm / 15¾", Moor Male, Mono Blue
Buy nowWhich finish to choose if you do not know the interior
Caution pays here. The finishes run from full monochrome to the most narrative decorations, and not all of them hold up in every house.
- Monochromes (blue, mustard, white, antique green): they work even in very modern homes, where a dense decoration would jar.
- Mother of pearl: neutral and luminous, it goes with pale wood and natural fabrics. It is the most broadly safe choice you can make blind.
- Blue and orange, decoro Sicily, lemons: very beautiful and very characterised. Give these to somebody who openly loves Sicily, not to somebody just discovering it.
- Gold and lustre: the most precious band. It suits marble and dark surfaces, less so a home furnished in a pared back way.
One or two
For a new home, one. The pair is the gift that speaks about a couple of people and gives its best at a wedding; for a move the single piece works better, and the person receiving it can add the second once they have worked out where to put it.
How to get it there
It ships straight to the new address, which for a housewarming is convenient: the house is already that one. Three things before ordering.
- The pieces are made to order, so the gift is decided weeks ahead rather than days. The stated time is up to 30 days from the confirmation of the order.
- Shipping leaves insured worldwide, and the cost is shown at checkout before you confirm.
- The person receiving it should be told to sign with a reservation on delivery, even if the box is intact. Without that signature the insurance does not come into play.
Worth knowing before ordering: at the moment gift wrapping and a card cannot be added to the order. What arrives is the protective packing, designed for the journey. If you ship straight to the new house, two lines to the person receiving it solves the problem of working out who it is from.
Common questions
Does it work as a gift for somebody with no Sicilian roots?
Yes. Outside Sicily a testa di moro reads as an entrance sculpture with a story behind it, and the story takes two minutes to tell. If anything it is the decoration that makes the difference: the more characterised it is, the more it asks that the person receiving it openly loves that imagery.
What size do you give if you have never seen the house?
Between 20 and 25 cm. It is the format that finds a place anywhere and does not force the recipient to reorganise a room.
How much do you spend on a housewarming gift?
The band most people use covers the 20 to 30 cm sizes. Each listing carries its own price, and shipping is shown at checkout.
Is it suitable for a rented home?
Yes, and it is an advantage: it needs no fixing, it leaves no marks and it moves house with whoever owns it.
Better before or after the move?
After. During a move a ceramic object is one more problem, and the new address is already live. If you want to announce it early, say so out loud and let the parcel arrive once the boxes are gone.
Where to start
If you know the house, start from the size and then choose the finish. If you do not know it, do the opposite: take a neutral finish in a mid format and you will not go wrong.
See the most chosen models, or open the full catalogue and work by height.
