Fans of The White Lotus will be familiar with the classic Sicilian vases known as testa di moro that adorn the fictional luxury hotel in the second season of the TV drama. The handpainted faces hark back to the legend of a Moorish man who fell in love with a local woman, only to have his head cut off when she discovered he had a wife back home.
The director uses these ornaments as a powerful visual motif to remind viewers to be wary of the guests and their actions. But their appearance in the hit show has also prompted a surge of interest in Italian maximalism and ceramics.
