Latin America, Mexico, 20th century. The Sunflower Catrina is signed and dated " En Domingo '01 - Neri (perhaps for Patricia Neri) Mexico Capula" - The Catrina with a traditional bonnet is signed and dated "En Domingo '99 / Neri". A wonderful pair of handcrafted Mexican folk art sculptures depicting La Catrina from Capula, Michoacan, one lovely skeletal lady wearing the traditional bonnet, the other adorned with sunflowers. These tall, elegant figures are modeled in ceramic and tastefully embellished with skillfully applied and glazed details. Size of La Catrina w/ Bonnet: 25.875" H (65.7 cm) Size of Sunflower Catrina: 24.875" H (63.2 cm)

These figures are quite popular during the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) holiday - a celebration to honor the lives of deceased ancestors. La Catrina is one of the most recognizable figures of The Day of the Dead celebrations. This tall female skeleton traditionally wears an elaborate hat decorated with feathers. Her history is 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 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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#168399

The Sunflower Catrina is signed and dated " En Domingo '01 - Neri (perhaps for Patricia Neri) Mexico Capula" - La Catrina with traditional bonnet is signed and dated "En Domingo '99 / Neri". La Catrina with bonnet is comprised of 2 pieces; the head (which is removable) was created separately and joins the body via a metal pin. There is a small chip to one of the feathers on her bonnet. Otherwise intact and excellent. Sunflower Catrina is intact and excellent.