The Assumption: Santa Maria Yasichi

Church of San Juan Teitipac, Oaxaca, Mexico

The Assumption (Full golden crown; standing on angels, cloud, and horned moon; palms up, arms raised as in adoration). Identified by our informant at Teitipac, Sr. Hilario Lopez, as Santa Maria Yasichi. Polychrome, solid wood; painted eyes, carved hair, closed mouth; less than 3 feet tall.

The mantle is lined in red. Vestiges of blue outline its folds, but the gold beneath, in a stylized pattern of curling petals, is in good condition. The robe has a round, softly gathered red collar and is caught at the waist by a gold sash tied in a double bow. The robe itself is gold, with a pattern of tiny flowers and dots. A red undergarment shows at the cuffs.

There is damage to the fingers of the right hand, the thumbs have been lost, and the outer edge of the left palm has split away. The hair falls smoothly to below the shoulders. The skin does not have much sheen, though the coloring is natural and the blush vivid. The pudgy faces and tiny features of the three angels in the cloud have an appealing simplicity. The horn of the moon on the Virgin's right has broken away.

More of the Assumption

Photo: Claire and Richard Stracke. This photo is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.