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Candelario Medrano (1918-1986) produced sewer pipe in the village of Santa Cruz, a suburb of Guadalajara for years before turning his imagination to the creation of buildings, churches, boats, airplanes, and fantastical creatures like the nahual. The adopted son of Julian Acero, from whom he learned, Medrano was a highly celebrated master of ceramics with his work collected around the world.
The round building featured here is very unique: two Mexican flags fly atop two towers, while a third tower hosts a nahual head. Each of the three towers contain a figure of the Virgin of Guadalupe within. A wonderful flat-roofed tower juts off the back at a forty five degree angle while a second-floor rectangular room, along with the towers, sits atop a round base and a large round main room. The building is painted red with a green interior and a yellow staircase winds up the side. Towers are red, green, and blue, with detailing of stairs and brickwork in black paint. Medrano was a master of color and this piece is no exception.
A dozen figures, including the three Virgins, stand throughout the space: a few on each floor, on the roof, and stairway. The figures are suspended by wire which connects through holes in the clay.
This building is in excellent condition and makes a wonderful addition to any collection of Mexican folk art or to a collection of ceramics by Candelario Medrano.
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