San Isidro Labrador
Huitzo, Oaxaca,
Mexico
St. Isidore the
Laborer
(Yoked
white oxen, goad, white straw hat, short brown tunic,
basket, carrying
sheaf of straw on back). Repainted polychrome; oxen are
modern wood,
gesso,
paint; woven straw hat; split-bamboo basket; approx.
2½ feet
tall.
Wooden andas (platform for carrying the santo in
processions).
The tunic was made
by
applying
cloth to wood before the polychroming. At the bottom left of
the tunic,
the polychrome pattern shines through the recent paint. The
statue
shows
deterioration. The left boot is chipped and the rotting wood
and worn
cloth
can be seen. The left hand, which holds the basket, has
broken middle
and
pinkie fingers; the right pinkie has been glued on
crookedly. From the
extended right arm, the full sleeves of the tunic hang down
to hip
level;
the belted tunic closes with four black buttons. At the
neck, the white
collar of the shirt shows. The oxen have been decorated with
necklaces
of blackware beads. The basket is of Tlacolula design.