Primitive Painted Mexican 'Sola' Crucifix

Just picked this piece up. It's 19 1/2" high by 9 1/2" wide.Seems to have some age, some paint loss, haven't found a signature (yet ?).

 

It looks like an amateur/untrained painted made it for themselves or a family member. Odds are it isn't signed. It almost looks like I did it, except that I'm not Catholic. From the blue...40s/50s?? It almost looks like they used what was to hand, like house paint.

 

Ruth-Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. The piece was 5 bucks so I figured what the heck ?
When I got home I had time to do my homework, here's a few auction examples of these things. Not sure what kind of provenance or look one of these needs to have to get theses prices- Folk Art/ Naive art can be a nutty thing !
https://www.nealauction.com/auction-lot/painted-wood-anima-sola-crucifix_23e4dfd9b3
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1713320385/cruz-de-animas-anima-sola-cross-from
https://www.invaluable.com/auction-...ican-painted-wood-cross-ex-qu-31-c-f4443e2958
https://arensburgantiik.ee/item/antique-spanish-colonial-carved-cross-of-souls-bulto18-19thc/

 

I wasn't familiar with these but... I see they're correctly called anima sola ("lonely soul" in English) crosses. Sola by itself means alone.

Debora

 

That would probably sell in my space in the antique mall. Folk art is appealing.

 

Not to my personal taste, but then as stated I'm nothing like a Catholic. For five bucks I think you got a deal.

 

*Thanks for the info Debora.'Lonely Soul'- what a haunting name, worth researching where the term came from.
*Yep Pott- there's definitely followers of Mexican Folk Art. Tonala Pottery,Santos,tinware-the whole Pueblo look.
* Ruth- I got alerted to this stuff when we visited New Mexico 30 years ago, this style was everywhere, in churches and historic buildings.
Of course I'd imagine it'd sell for a lot more in the SW.
Albuquerque,Santa Fe and Taos are pretty amazing-some of the little villages (like Georgia O'Keefe's) made us feel like we were in the Holy Land.

 

I think those are quite a few animas solas down there, burning in purgatory. Maybe these crosses were made so faithful could pray for sinners so their sould could leave purgatory and go to heaven.

 

You don't have to be a Catholic to like folk art. Many non-Catholics collect folk art, religious or otherwise. Many also collect 'high' art religious art.