IT01 – The Plaster Statue Makers

Stitchers (Barga): Lucia Pieroni, Lia Baldacci, Federica Caproni, Roberta Carradini, Maria Elena Caproni

The first emigrants from Barga were the statue makers. Teams of four men and boys, including the oldest sons from poverty stricken families, travelled through northern Italy, Europe and to Britain, eventually moving up to Scotland, from 1860s ti the early 1900’s. A barrow containing moulds, plaster and paint provided them with the means to manufacture domestic religious statues. According to Carlo Zambonini ( decendent of a Barghigiani family), the story is that there was not much demand for catholic iconography, so one of the statues would be painted red to look like John Knox. Bruno Serini (“the took the low road “) states that the statues were modified to look like Giuseppe Garibaldi for the protestants and St Patrick for the Catholics.

 IT01 Luchd-dèanamh Ìomhaighean Plèastair
B’ e luchd-deanamh ìomhaighean a’ chiad eilthirich a thàinig à Barga. Bho na 1860an gu tràth sna 1990an, shiubhail sgiobaidhean de cheathrar fhear agus bhalach, a’ gabhail a-steach na mic a bu shine à teaghlaichean le bochdainn, tro cheann a tuath na h-Eadailt, tron Roinn Eòrpa gu Breatainn, agus mu dheireadh thall a’ ruighinn Alba. Thug bara de cumaidhean, plèastair agus peant dòigh dhaibh air ìomhaighean beaga diadhaidh a chruthachadh. Tha an sgeulachd ag innse nach robh mòran iarrtais air ìomhaighean Caitligeach ann an Alba, agus mar sin bha luchdreic iomairteach a’ peantadh nan ìomhaighean ann an riochd Iain Knox. Tha Bruno Serini ag ràdh gun robh iad cuideachd air an atharrachadh gus a bhith coltach ri Giuseppe Garibaldi do na Pròstanaich agus an Naomh Pàdraig do na Caitligich.