O GALO de BARCELOS (SOLD)
24″ x 48″ Mixed Media on Wood
Barcelos is a town in Portugal. The town’s famous symbol is a rooster, in Portuguese called o galo de Barcelos (“the Rooster of Barcelos“). There is a legend associated with this rooster. One of the many versions of this legend goes that a rich man threw a big party. When the party was over, the rich man noticed that his sterling cutlery was stolen by a guest. He accused a pilgrim and let him go to court. He protested his innocence, but the judge didn’t believe him. The judge was about to eat a roasted rooster when the pilgrim said: “If I am innocent, this rooster will crow three times.” When the pilgrim was about to be lynched, the rooster crowed. The judge released the pilgrim. The story ends a few years later when the pilgrim returned and made a statue of the event. Now the rooster can be found in just about every home where you’ll find a Portuguese person.