An amazing 'Catrina' skeleton lady figurine from Oaxaca, Mexico. Elaborately carved from copal wood by artist Manuel Cruz, and beautifully painted by his wife Ruvi Martinez.
Manuel is the son of one of the masters of Oaxacan wood carving, Agustin Cruz (acclaimed for his fantastical carvings of toys, nativities and religious icons). He has certainly inherited his father’s talent for precise and complex carvings, but has his own distinctive style. His wife Ruvi Martinez is a talented and innovative painter in her own right. Manuel was awarded first place in the wood carving category in the 2016 MEAPO-FOFA awards for Mexican folk artists, and his pieces are highly sought after by collectors.
Dimensions: 12cm (w) x 12cm (d) x 33cm (h)
Weight: 0.43kg
A charmingly carved combination of two typical Mexican characters, by artist Maricela Roque. Finely decorated with the geometric patterns of pre-hispanic Mexico.
Dimensions: 13cm (w) x 50cm (d) x 16cm (h)
Weight: 0.87kg
An exquisite 'nahual' (pronounced [na'wal]) wood carving by artists Jesus and Roxana Hernandez of Oaxaca, Mexico. This imposing piece took 3 months to carve and paint. Decorated in their characteristic 'scale' pattern, it has skilfully inset glass eyes.
According to pre-hispanic traditions, a nahual is a human being who has the power to transform either spiritually or physically into an animal form. They are seen as protectors of the people and the natural resources.
Dimensions: 17cm (w) x 36cm (d) x 35cm (h)
Weight: 1.2kg
A strikingly carved and beautifully painted bear by artist Ray Mendez. It has the body of a bear and a lizard's tail.
Hand-made in Oaxaca, Mexico
Dimensions: 15cm (w) x 20cm (d) x 34cm (h)
Weight: 1kg