Description:

**First Time At Auction**

Latin America, Mexico, Spanish Colonial period, ca. mid to late 20th century CE. A hand-carved wooden santo depicting the Virgin Mary featuring inlaid glass eyes with striking blue pupils as well as a naturalistic visage and a shoulder-length coiffure. She wears blue-painted clothing with gold-hued hems, likely previously covered by a dress that draped over her slender figure. Size: 8" W x 24" H (20.3 cm x 61 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: private Alamo, California, USA collection, acquired from a Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA ethnographic show in 2001

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

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#180581

  • Condition: Professional repair to proper right leg with break line visible. Nicks, chips, and abrasions as shown. Nice preservation of glass eyes.

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August 18, 2023 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
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