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.
Photographed at the site by Claire and
Richard Stracke