Description:

New World, Mexico, Spanish Colonial style, ca. 19th century CE. A pair of matched, hand-carved wooden figures, each a kneeling male worshipper with a full head of brown hair and a neat brown beard, each wearing a painted wooden green coat trimmed with real cloth. On their chests, they have sewn beaded and textile crosses. Despite their identical attire, they have slightly different faces, highlighting the craftsmanship and effort put into creating these devotional figures. Figure 1: 5.5" L x 5.875" W x 11" H; Figure 2: 6" L x 4.5" W x x10.75" H

Santos played an important role in bringing the Catholic Church to the New World with the Spanish colonists. These religious figures were hand-carved and often furnished with crowns, jewels, and other accessories, usually funded by religious devotees, and were used as icons to explain the major figures - Mary, Christ, and the saints - to new, indigenous converts. Likewise, they served as a connection to the Old World for Spanish colonists far from home. They became a folk art tradition in the Spanish New World, from modern day Guatemala to as far north as New Mexico and Colorado. Many of them were lovingly cared for over the years, with repairs and paint added as they aged, and played an active part for a long time in the religious life of their communities.

Provenance: ex private Francis & Lilly Robicsek collection, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

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#120597

  • Condition: Fine craquelure. Some losses to paint and overpainting as shown. Wax in areas used for attaching accessories. A few of the fingers are lost and there are some small, stable cracks in the wood, particularly near the feet.

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April 5, 2018 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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