Frigoriferi d'arte

Smeg & Dolce&Gabbana

Michele Ducato was born in Palermo in 1972. He specialised in Applied Arts in high school and then took a degree in Architecture. Since he was a boy, Michele has pursued an interest in cart painting, an art that has been handed down in his family for three generations, starting with his grandfather, also Michele, who opened an atelier in Bagheria in 1895 at the age of 14. Working with his father Giuseppe, he is passionately devoted to the decoration and scrupulous restoration of Sicilian carts. The venerable history of this workshop is tied to the revivial and preservation of this art, with the aim of sharing it with an ever larger audience and making it accessible to young people.

Enamel and oil, 60 x 151 x 68.2 cm This refrigerator is distinguished by the heroic-chivalric spirit typical of the Sicilian cart painting tradition. The front panel features a scene of medieval jousting, inspired by the exploits of the paladin Orlando, and two medallions with portraits of soldiers. A circle and two ovals, exquisitely bordered, frame representations traditionally known as u culuritu, further emphasised by the boldly coloured background. Classic checkerboard motifs extend onto the sides, which feature two rosettes with portraits of knights and Saracens. A series of suns, symbol of vitality, characterise the geometrical compositions on the top.