Description:

New World, Mexico, Spanish Colonial style, ca. 19th century CE. A large, ornate, hand-carved wooden plinth for holding a santo, a devotional figure made to be placed in a church or on an altar. This plinth is decorated with multiple carved and painted cherubic faces, a style that commonly accompanies santos of the Virgin of Guadalupe. The background is white, with gilded figures and border. Size: 13" L x 15.25" W x 12" H (33 cm x 38.7 cm x 30.5 cm)

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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#120607

  • Condition: Craquelure and small areas of loss to the paint as shown. Some areas of overpainting. Cracks to surface, especially on the edges.

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April 17, 2018 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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