ceramic diorama

This vibrant retablo showcases a group of skeletons that rise from their eternal dreams and return for a night of earthly pleasures, eating, drinking and celebrating their lives and memories. Evoking the Day of the Dead, Peru’s Jose Ramos designs this unique diorama handcrafted from black walnut wood whose hand-painted ceramic figurines expertly arranged within make it a standout. Elabourate floral and leaf patterns adorn the doors that can be displayed either open or closed, providing a delightful touch.

Alejandro Chávez crafts a mirror frame rooted in Andean tradition with four different vignettes. At the top, people harvest tunas, the red fruit of the prickly pear cactus. To the left, merchants offer warm blankets in a market stall and to the right they sell handcrafted masks. Used during the Carnival celebrations preceding Lent, the masks appear in an astonishing array of animals, human and fantasy faces. Along the bottom, dancers perform the Scissors Dance. Known as retablos, these traditional dioramas feature figures carefully molded from ceramic plaster and painted by hand.

This handcrafted retablo by Jose Ramos sets the first Christmas in the Peruvians. Graceful three-dimensional flowers and vines cover both sides of the doors. Inside, a shepherds and a llama accompany the Holy Family as celebrate the baby in the manger. The entire diorama is awash in rich earthen tones.