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The Sicilian cart is a two-wheeled vehicle without springs made to be pulled by one animal and used for transporting light loads. The animal, besides pulling the cart, has to sustain part of the load on its back. In the 1920s, during the height of the cart's popularity, there were, in Palermo alone, as many as five thousand.
The cart, made entirely by hand, is essentially composed of three principal elements: wheels, bars, and case. Although there are some small pieces of metal, the construction is primarily of wood: walnut, ash, beech, and fir. Because of its large wheels, it is particularly well adapted to sloping and difficult terrain.
A little known aspect of the cart is its melodic character. When in motion, there is a metallic sound familiar to a bell out, of course, not as loud. The bell sound is very popular with the cart owners who like to sing their Sicilian songs in time with the bell sound while driving along the roads.
Paintings and sculptures, both of which have roots in medieval Sicilian art, completely decorate the carts. Sculptors and painters who work on the carts never studied design or attended a Fine Arts academies. The craft is handed down from generation to generation, with young boys as apprentices. As it was eight centuries ago, the decorative work on the cart is, today, essentially the same. So skilled are the workers, they need models or prints from which to work. Nor do they sketch the work on the wood, but begin chiseling directly on it. The decorative work generally depicts themes from Sicilian history, folklore, wars, and heroes.
Perminant colors of yellow and red, the historical colors of the city of Palermo, decorate the entire cart. Other colors used include deep blue, green, white, and black. The finest art work is to be found on the exterior, but even the interior of the case, where the load is carried, is decorated. The finished product of the Sicilian Cart is truly a work of art and remains, today, an extraordinary example of Sicilian genius and uniqueness. |
