Red coral painting – Sicilian symbol

This is a refined handmade painting inspired by the Sicilian identity.

It respects and strives to preserve the soul of “Sicilianity” combining some “natural precious stones” from Sicily such as the red coral from the Mediterranean Sea.

This typically Sicilian artwork is entirely handmade with love in Sicily by the hands of expert craftsmen.

It is graceful, elegant, and emanates a strong sense of passion for Sicily.

Red coral

According to Greek mythology, coral originated from the blood of Medusa, one of three Gorgons, killed by Perseus. The sea nymphs stole some drops of her blood, which on contact with seawater, turned into coral.

For centuries coral’s mythological origins have possessed features which have portrayed it as a controlling symbol of life and regeneration as well as a talisman against evil forces.

Sicilian coral has its roots in an exceptional historical parenthesis linked to the emergence in 1875 of a volcanic island from the depths of the Mediterranean Sea, later called Ferdinandea. The island, now submerged, is located off the Mediterranean sea between Sciacca and Pantelleria.

THE MEANING OF THE SICILIAN TRINACRIA

Trinacria is a mythical representation of a three legged Medusa which has served as the symbol of Sicily since ancient times.

The three bent running legs represent the three capes of Sicily, Peloro (North-East), Passero (South-East), and Lilibeo (West), which also create the three points of the triangle.

Native Sicilians, left breathless by the beauty of Sicily’s shores, likened and compared them to those of a woman.
The three ears of wheat, surrounding the head of Medusa (a gorgon with a head of snakes), represent the fertility of the land of Sicily.

The Romans would celebrate the extreme fertility of the island, during a period when Sicily was the granary of the Roman empire.
The center Medusa head in the middle of the Trinacria implies the protection of the island by the goddess Athena, the patron goddess of Sicily.

The Trinacria’s shape is often referred to as a triskelion, a motif consisting of a triple spiral exhibiting rotational symmetry; this shape can be found in many places among the Mediterranean Sea and have all dated back to after the eighth century BC.
This Sicilian symbol has also been adopted by our government and is located on the center of Sicily’s flag.