18th Century Santos of a Madonna Style with Gilt drape and red frock, H:17.5" W:7.5" D:4.5". Santos makers worked in the European tradition of polychrome (painted wooden) sculpture. Typically, a santero carved and sanded with the use of a locally available wood then detailed to achieve the desired contour and expression. The next step is the applied size (animal glue)and gesso (chalk in animal glue) this provides an ideal ground to achieve paint. There were times when colored bole (fine clay and... Click for details
An original leaf from a German edition of Sebastian Munster's Cosmographia Universalis, mid to late 16th century. There is a woodblock print on each side, one with original colouring.
Munster, a highly educated mathematician, geographer and linguist, was one of the most influential mapmakers of the 16th century.
