Lot 130
Latin America, Mexico, 20th century. Sunflower 'Frida Kahlo' Catrina is signed and dated " En Domingo '01 - Neri (perhaps for Patricia Neri) Mexico Capula" Catrina in black is signed and dated "En Domingo '98 / Neri". A wonderful pair of handcrafted Mexican folk art sculptures depicting interpretations of La Catrina from Capula, Michoacan, one lovely skeletal figure dressed to resemble Frida Kahlo adorned with a sunflower headdress, applied sunflowers over her left arm, an aqua blouse with ruffles lining her skeletal chest, a cobalt serape with white stitched patterns and fringes, and a long sienna skirt adorned with white floral blossoms and an aqua hem - looking out with a smile as well as her signature unibrow. Size of Frida Catrina: 24.25" H (61.6 cm) Size of Catrina in black: 22.875" H (58.1 cm)
The second figure dons an elegant black and white fringed serape that hugs her skeletal form, an emerald green blouse, a sienna skirt adorned with black stars - the waistline adorned by a golden yellow belt with applied loops, a matching golden yellow ruffle of applied flowers and loops just below the knee, and an emerald green band around the hemline, magnificent earrings with cobalt blue circular bodies and emerald green feathery appliques, and finally, yellow flowers adorning her long braid.
These tall, elegant figures are modeled in ceramic and tastefully embellished with skillfully applied and glazed details. They were made to grace the doorways of the quaint colonial town of Capula, Mexico. La Catrina is one of the most recognizable figures of the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrations. This tall female skeleton traditionally wears an elaborate hat decorated with feathers; however, sculptors have also reinterpreted her dress and decoration, as we see in these examples. La Catrina's history runs deep - the Aztecs worshipped her as a goddess of death who was believed to protect their deceased loved ones as they transitioned to the afterlife. The image of La Catrina is thought to have originated with the Mexican graphic artist Jose Guadalupe Posada (Mexican, 1852-1913) in the early 1900s. A political cartoonist who was no stranger to controversy, Posada created this dandy-looking female skeleton wearing a fancy feathered hat, since some Mexicans wished to look like aristocratic Europeans during this period.
Provenance: private Eagle, Colorado, USA collection, acquired in the 1990s
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#168915
- Condition: Sunflower Frida Kahlo Catrina is signed and dated "En Domingo '01 - Neri (perhaps for Patricia Neri) Mexico Capula" on the lower skirt. La Catrina with hair pulled back into a single braid and dressed in black is signed and dated "En Domingo '98 / Neri" on the lower skirt. Both are intact and excellent.
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