influenced by southern Germany, to which it was tied through trade routes.

Open gallery view The flag of Sardinia. Four black men. Credit: none

“There the cult of St. Maurice was widespread. He was a black Roman commander who originally came from Egypt and became a martyr. He was depicted in art as a very distinguished black man, and the Venetians were also influenced by this.”

She says that the word “moro” (“Moor”) was never perceived in Italy as having a negative or racist connotation, and that it was used to describe Arabs, North Africans and people from the Middle East. In fact, the term was considered so complimentary that many Venetian families, including that of a doge (Cristoforo Moro, who lived in the late 15th century), adopted the name.

“The mororeconquest of Spain which was occupied by the Moors by Christian kings from the Kingdom of Aragon who ruled over the Island as well, while the second says the figure is meant to be St. Maurice, who also had a strong following in southern France, which influenced the kings from Aragon.

The vases in Sicily depicting a Moorish prince originated with the legend of a local girl who fell in love with a Moor who was either a prince or a military commander. Before he could return to his family, she cut off his head, placed the head inside a vase on her balcony and grew basil in it, which grew so wild that the “vase” became a symbol of good fortune. Today such a vase can be found