Lot 135D
Latin America, Mexico, ca. early to mid 20th century CE. A Day of the Dead paper mache skeleton musician standing upon an integral base, handbuilt and hand painted in black and white with highlights of various hues, modeled on the legendary Mexican artist Jose Guadalupe Posada's famous skeletons. Posada (1852-1913) was a printmaker and lithographer during the pre-Revolutionary era who is perhaps best known for his La Calaca Garbancera, later known as La Catrina, that iconic female skeleton featured in Day of the Dead celebrations as well as his etchings and lithographs of skeletons dancing to music played by skeletal musicians like this one. Regarded by scholars as the father of Mexican modern art, many folk artists adopted his iconography and artistic style to portray the Mexican's intriguing relationship with death. This piece wears a pink sombrero and a long charro or shawl painted with aqua, black , and russet details over his long, skeletal body. Despite that fact that he is a skeleton, he is quite lively, passionately playing his large, upright bass! Size: 6.5" W at widest x 12.5" H (16.5 cm x 31.8 cm)
Provenance: Ex- James Byrnes collection, first curator for LACMA
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#113431
- Condition: Surface has faded a tad. Small repairs to arm and hat. Some separation to the papier mache of his hat, hands, right foot, and neck as shown, but stable nonetheless.
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