Paolo Pusceddu
Master Bladesmith,
founder of the museum
Biography
Born in Arbus (SU) in 1957.
Under the guidance of his father Mario, a master blacksmith himself, Paolo learned the art of manipulating metals from a very young age. After a brief experience in Brescia, he started working aged 20 in his father’s workshop. This is where he refined the arts of forging metals and making knives.
This experience and knowledge were his opportunity for creating his own brand l’Arburesa with the goal of reviving the traditional knives of Arbus.
In 1996 Paolo opened his father’s old house to the public, restored to its original eighteenth-century charm. So, the first museum of the sardinian knife was born, a destination visited by thousands of tourists each year.
Paolo has always been a complete and eclectic artist, a truly creative mind. A sculptor, painter, actor, he has bestowed various art pieces upon his native Arbus.
Not just knives. A versatile artist.
The statue of Don Giovanni Bosco
This work is a cement-based statue covered with sheets of lead. The heads of the 3 figures portrayed are completely cast in lead. It stands almost 2 m tall and weighs 600 kg. It depicts the popular and beloved priest from Asti, and is situated in the courtyard of the parish dedicated to him.
The statue, made by Paolo Pusceddu, master bladesmith and sculptor, with the helping hand of his daughter Viola, was commissioned by the now retired former priest Don Ettore Orrù, to commemorate his 50 years at the parish where he was a beloved figure.
Christ on the cross
This work is found in the Beata Vergine Maria Regina parish in Arbus, and was built using a technique divided into various phases.
The structure is made of steel, with a wire mesh lining and modelled with plastic cement. The figure of Christ thus obtained is then covered in lead sheets, a very malleable material that allowed Paolo to convey a higher attention to details on the face, the shroud and the body’s wounds. The figure of Christ is 2.08 m tall, 4 m including cross.
Death of a Miner
This is definitely one of the more conceptual works of particular emotional resonance in Paolo’s repertoire. This statue is in stone, wrought iron, tools and general paraphernalia typical of a miners’ workplace, commemorating the harsh working conditions in the nearby mines surrounding Arbus in the early 20th century.
A simple black line in wrought iron outlines the figure of a girl holding her pregnant mother’s hand, widowed by the mine and left alone to grow her children.
The Hand
This work is situated in the Beata Vergine Maria Regina parish in Arbus. Made sculpting red trachyte, depicts with powerful symbolism a hand protecting a little girl. The sculpture was intended as an ornamental piece at the parish entrance.
