19th Century South America "Slave" shrine

About the Item

Solid wood, with original patina from the time. Made by slaves, during the dark slavery times, to worship and pray. Dimensions: 18,70 inches W x 33,26 inches H x 10,62 inches D. in centimeters : 47,5cm W x 84,5 cm H x 27cm D. The domestic shrines have been present in the brazilian homes since the XVIIth century. When the cities all over the country started to grow, from small setlements around a chapel, to a more important commercial center for the sugar plantations, the shrines were always an important, almost vital necessity, in each individual dwelling in that town. They were adaptations made to its primitive form as a small reduced chapel, as a shelter and hiding place for saints, as a mobile altar traveling along difficult and deserted roads and paths. Mostly anonymous, in very rare cases, one can find their authorial identification. Artists and artisans of all kinds, Portuguese and the Afro-Brazilian craftsmen, left the mark of a typically tropicalized creativity, where the baroque aesthetics was adapted to the popular cultures of the time. One can find them in small dimensions in simple earthen homes or more sophisticated and larger examples in the stately solares of the wealthy land owners. The bigger ones always waiting for a priest, who would celebrate masses in front of it. In different moments of distress or gratitude, the shrine would be the ideal space for personal contact, with a strong affective character and greater intimacy with Catholic symbolism. The saints guarded or enthroned in their niches were thus at hand to protect, hear secrets and testify to the faith of men, women and children.

Dimensions:

Height: 33.26 in (84.49 cm)Width: 18.7 in (47.5 cm)Depth: 10.62 in (26.98 cm)

Style:

Folk Art (Of the Period)

Materials and Techniques:

Cedar

Place of Origin:

Brazil

Period:

Mid-19th Century

Date of Manufacture:

Circa 1850