The Story: There are gardens that exist only in memory — roses heavy on the vine, the air thick with something green and alive. ALAMY arrives from that place: a studio in Roges di Rende, Cosenza, Calabria, where Maurizio Orrico and Enrica Vulcano press flowers into clay with a gardener's devotion. Maurizio's sculpture and installation work has shown at the Venice Art Biennale and the Shanghai Expo; Enrica, trained at NABA, is the design intelligence behind OVO. Finished in a soft sage celadon matte — the color of a Calabrian garden at first light — her crown is a triumph of the hand: full-blown roses, unfurling leaves, and spherical buds sculpted one by one, in OVO's signature graphite and matte enamel finish that catches light the way moss catches morning dew. Any imperfection you find is not a flaw. It is the hand.
Alamy comes from the Arabic 'ālam, meaning world — carrying, like every testa di moro, the memory of two worlds meeting. This is not a purchase. It is an arrival: a limited edition sculpture, carried across the water, each one accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. She has been waiting for exactly the right garden.
The Legend: In the tradition of Italian romantic tragedy — in the spirit of Romeo and Juliet — a love story unfolded so consuming it refused to simply end.
During the time of Arab rule in Sicily, a beautiful young woman tended her balcony with devotion — her plants, her flowers, her small world of beauty above the street. A Moorish merchant passed below, fell captivated, and told her of his feelings. What followed was a passionate love, immediate, absolute. For a time, it was everything.
Then came the betrayal. She discovered he was leaving — returning to the East, to a wife and children she had never known existed. The romance that had felt eternal had been, for him, a chapter. For her, it was the whole story.
Consumed by heartbreak and fury, she decided to never let him go and, as the legend goes, transformed him into something eternal, turning his head into a vase and planting a sprig of basil inside. She watered it with her tears and the basil grew luxuriantly, lush and fragrant beyond all reason. The neighbors noticed and began creating their own in ceramic— and so the legend spread. Regal, crowned, placed on balconies across Sicily, the testa di moro became a symbol of love, abundance, and good fortune. Centuries later, it remains one of Italy's most beloved icons. A story of loss, yes — but more than that, a symbol of love so fierce it grew into something beautiful. And never stopped growing.
Artist Studio: OVO · Maurizio Orrico & Enrica Vulcano · Roges di Rende, Cosenza, Calabria, Italy Medium: Handcrafted ceramic with powdered graphite and opaque matte enamel Finish: Matte · Sage Celadon · Color Code 3134T Dimensions: 45cm H · 20cm D · 16.5cm D (approximately 17.7" H · 7.9" D) Weight: Approximately 4–5kg Edition: Limited · Each piece unique Certificate: Authenticity certificate included
Each MorOVO ships directly from our partner studio in Calabria, Italy. Please allow 2–3 weeks for delivery. Complimentary shipping included. Expedited delivery available on select pieces — contact us to arrange.
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