Intricate Miniature Sicilian Cart, Horse, and Driver. Delicate details and bright colors throughout. 

Condition: Commensurate with age. 

Size: 5 x 12 x 7 in. 

#3441 #4 . 

The Sicilian cart (carretto siciliano in Italian and carrettu sicilianu in Sicilian) is an ornate, colorful style of horse or donkey-drawn cart native to the island of Sicily, in Italy. The carts were used for the transportation of goods throughout the island starting in the early 19th Century. Carts reached the height of their popularity in the 1920s when many thousands were on the island, jockeying for position along Sicily’s winding roads. Two museums are dedicated to the carts in Sicily, one in Palermo, and one in Catania, and they are often found in circus museums around the world as well, as their design heavily influenced the aesthetic of the Big Top. The cart has two wheels and is usually handmade out of wood with iron metal components, with the craft handed down from generation to generation through the training of apprentices. Each province in Sicily has their own style: Carretti made in the province of Palermo have more of a square box design, those made in Catania are made with more elaborate sides and wheels, and the carts made in Agrigento have detailed tableaus painted on the sides, with an inverted truncated square-base pyramid shape. Their earliest purpose was for wandering preachers, who used the eye-catching carvings and bright colors to attract passersby, and scenes from religious texts to convey information to those who were illiterate. Tinkers and hawkers soon adopted the form, adding their own touches like intricate geometric designs and images from Sicilian history and folklore. The colors of Sicily’s flag, yellow and red, feature prominently on the carts, along with details in bright blues and greens. The animals pulling the carts are often elaborately adorned as well. In modern-day Sicily the tradition continues in small, three-wheeled motorized vehicles (called Ape), which are painted in this traditional way. Miniature carts, or Carrettini Siciliani, are often sold in Sicily (or in Italian shops and restaurants in other countries) as souvenirs.

Commensurate with age.