American Art Death Cart (Carreta de la Muerte) Possibly made near Córdova, New Mexico, United States, North and Central AmericaPossibly made near Taos, New Mexico, United States, North and Central America c. 1880-1900 Artist/maker unknown, American Cottonwood, spruce wheels, paint, hair, sheep's teeth (?), glass or obsidian eyes, rope, black wool/silk mantilla * Gallery 110, American Art, first floor 2006-85-1 |
Purchased with the Thomas Skelton Harrison Fund and with funds contributed by Marguerite and Gerry Lenfest and Marvin B. Levitties, and with the gift (by exchange) of Mrs. Elizabeth Titus, 2006LabelThis powerful sculpture represents the art of the Penitente brotherhoods, religious groups that flourished in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado in the nineteenth century. Pulled in an Easter procession, this terrifying figure---skeletal, shrouded, and armed with a bow and arrow---warns of the constant presence of death and the perils awaiting an unprepared, unrepentant sinner.The Death Cart belongs to the tradition of dramatic sculpture of Spain and Latin America. Working in a village far from metropolitan centers, the master who made this sculpture developed a personal style of unnerving naturalism and expressive abstraction. Social Tags [?]bones [x] bow and arrow [x] cart [x] death [x] folk art [x] muerte [x] reaper [x] skeleton [x] skull [x] [Add Your Own Tags]* Works in the collection are moved off view for many different reasons. Although gallery locations on the website are updated regularly, there is no guarantee that this object will be on display on the day of your visit. |
