PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
The Story: There are kings who do not announce themselves.
They do not need to. Their presence is felt before they are seen — in the weight of a room, in the way light shifts when something truly commanding enters it. This is how CORD arrives. Quietly certain. Unhurried. A king who has nothing left to prove and everything to say.
Carried by hand from a studio in Calabria, the sun-baked toe of Italy's boot, CORD is the Re — the king — of OVO's MorOVO collection. He has been waiting for a room worthy of him.
The Origin: CORD is a MorOVO — OVO's own contemporary reinterpretation of the testa di moro, the Moorish head, one of the most iconic and enduring forms in Italian decorative arts. Born in the studio of Maurizio Orrico and Enrica Vulcano in Roges di Rende, Cosenza, Calabria, each MorOVO is handcrafted in limited quantities — no two identical, every surface a conversation between the artist's hand and the clay.
Maurizio is a visual artist whose work spans painting, photography, sculpture, and installation. He has shown at the Venice Art Biennale, the Architecture Biennale, and the Shanghai Expo — his pieces live today in public and private collections across Italy and beyond. Enrica Vulcano, graduate of NABA — Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti — is the design intelligence that shaped OVO into a brand. Together they are the whole.
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.
The Craft: It begins with a fistful of clay. That is where every MorOVO starts — raw material, ancient and alive, shaped entirely by hand from the first touch to the final surface. There are no molds doing the work here. Every element of CORD's crown — the thick rope braid twisted and knotted by hand, the botanical leaf clusters rising upward, the lotus medallion set at center front like a seal of authority — was formed one piece at a time, applied with intention, fired into permanence.
The curled spirals of his beard are among the most demanding details in the entire collection. Each coil hand-rolled, hand-placed, each one a small act of devotion to the craft. Look closely and you understand what it means for something to be truly made by hand.
The surface is OVO's own invention — born from Maurizio's early experiments with metal oxidation, translated into a ceramic technique that gives each piece its extraordinary presence. Powdered graphite mixed with opaque matte enamel, applied by hand, creating a finish that absorbs light rather than reflecting it — weighted, velvety, unlike anything produced by machine. Any variation you find in the surface is not imperfection. It is the hand. It is the only signature that matters.
Each MorOVO arrives with a certificate of authenticity.
The Name: CORD — in Italian, corda means rope. Look to his crown and you understand immediately. A thick rope braid — twisted, knotted, worn like a wreath of authority — encircles the king's head. It is the defining mark of this Re, the element that sets him apart from every other MorOVO in the collection. In the tradition of the Mediterranean, rope is never merely functional. It is the sailor's lifeline, the fisherman's covenant with the sea, the thread that binds one world to another. CORD wears his name like a king wears his crown — with complete and unhurried certainty.
The Arrival: This is not a purchase. It is an arrival. A limited edition sculpture handcrafted in southern Italy, carried across an ocean, to live in your home. He has been waiting for exactly the right room.
Artist Studio: OVO · Maurizio Orrico & Enrica Vulcano · Roges di Rende, Cosenza, Calabria, Italy Medium: Handcrafted ceramic with powdered graphite and opaque matte enamel Finish: Cool Grey Matte · Color Code 3242T 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. Complimentary shipping included. Expedited delivery available on select pieces — contact us to arrange.
Every purchase illuminates lives, cultures and communities across the world. LUXUL COLLECTIVE — Light Reflects Light.