Head - pupi siciliani (2) - Wood

The image shows two heads of Sicilian Pupi, the traditional marionette protagonists of the Opera dei Pupi, declared by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2001. These heads, artisanally crafted in polychrome wood, depict characters from the Carolingian cycle, such as Orlando and Rinaldo.
Carved from blocks of beech wood and hand-painted, the faces feature pronounced and expressive traits, thick eyebrows and cheekbones highlighted with red. The head on the left, with its conspicuous black mustache and resolute gaze, typically depicts a knight or paladin, while the one on the right, with more delicate features, could represent a female character such as Angelica. (1890 - 1920)