One more fotocultura, the third of three I purchased from the estate of a artist, collector and friend in Rockport MA, who frequently travelled to Mexico. And while the surface of the hand-tinted photo of the young man at left shows some aging, I think its pretty hard to argue with the greatness of these three, and who wouldn't want to keep company with them?!
From the website of the Met Museum: "Fotoescultura is a Mexican folk art form that flourished from the late 1920s through the early 1980s. Often commissioned by traveling salesmen to honor individuals, commemorate important events, or memorialize the dead, fotoesculturas typically consist of a hand-tinted portrait photograph, trimmed and adhered to a carved mount of the same shape and surrounded by an elaborate wooden frame. Sold primarily in Mexico as well as in Mexican-American communities in Houston and Chicago, fotoesculturas were particularly popular during and after World War II, when families were anxious to memorialize absent sons, brothers, and fathers."
15 1/8" w x 12 9/16" t x approx 4" d. Some surface staining/wear to the face of the man at left and to the very tops of the hats at center and right, and I believe likely the loss of fabric or paper ties once adhered to the front of each of their shirts. Otherwise good condition, with quite a marvelous presence. There once would have been a pane of glass behind them, with a couple of brass tacks that would have held it in place, still attached to the back of the frame.
You might also like
