Mama Mariposa

The butterfly as a symbol of transience and resurrection is a frequently cited theme in Day of the Dead art. José Juan Aguilar masters this genre like no other Mexican artist known to us and delights us with this romantic mother-child combination with two magnificent skulls and very delicate painting of the wings.

The proportions of the butterfly made of red clay are perfect, and the same naturally applies to the general workmanship of the unusual wall decoration in the robust style of the Aguilars, elaborated with the accumulated experience of three generations of the famous pottery family from Ocotlan de Morelos near Oaxaca.

The feelers on the skulls are made of wire and firmly embedded in the body. We bend them back slightly when packing and can then adjust them as desired after unpacking. Behind the larger skull there is a wire bracket cleverly embedded in the body for wall mounting, which cannot be seen from the front, and the back of one of the wings bears the artist's signature. The dimensions refer to the body only, without feelers.