Roland Furieux - Element Of A Sicilian Cart Around 1900 - Polychrome Wood

Carved and painted wood - A scene from Ariosto's Roland Furioso. This work is considered the last novel of chivalry (published at the beginning of the 16th century). It enjoyed constant success for three centuries and inspired numerous adaptations in theater, opera and painting. Here is a Sicilian cart. The wealthy families of Sicily traveled in decorated carriages, sometimes bearing the family coat of arms, with padded seats and driven by a servant. From the beginning of the 19th century, peasant families began to paint their utilitarian carts in a thousand colors; as if to rival those of the great families or at least resemble them. Thus was born this custom of the colorful Sicilian cart. Often decorated with religious scenes, or songs of gesture, such as Roland. They were pulled by a horse or a donkey. At a time when most people were illiterate, the cart was a cultural disseminator, carrying stories told orally. In his "Voyage en Sicile" Guy de Maupassant described the Sicilian carts seen in Palermo as "puzzles on two wheels that you always want to solve." (1885). -- Modern fleece panel 97.5 x 38.5 cm.