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On it's way to the scrap dealer!

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Author	Topic: On it's way to the scrap dealer!
bascall Posts: 1629 Registered: Nov 99	posted 03-18-2008 06:52 PM Rescued from the scrap bucket today. Please don't tell it should have been left there. It's about five inches tall and in very good condition. The mark is illegible to me. IP: Logged
Polly Posts: 1970 Registered: Nov 2004	posted 03-18-2008 07:11 PM That looks like a post-1979 Mexican mark. Maybe someone who knows more about Mexican silver than I do can figure out which one. IP: Logged
jersey Posts: 1203 Registered: Feb 2005	posted 03-18-2008 09:02 PM Hi bascall! Absolutely NOT for the scrap heap. He's a clown after all meant make you smile, laugh & be happy! Maybe whoever tossed him no longer could do that or cared. He's great! Glad you rescued him. Hope he made you smile....! He's a keeper! Enjoy the day! Happy Easter! Jersey IP: Logged
salmoned Posts: 336 Registered: Jan 2005	posted 03-18-2008 10:20 PM A scary clown, indeed! The mark looks like TV-24 over Mex 925. That would mean it was made in Taxco by the 24th to register with a name starting with 'V'. IP: Logged
bascall Posts: 1629 Registered: Nov 99	posted 03-19-2008 07:20 AM Thank you Polly, Jersey, and Salmoned. Excellent start on the marks! IP: Logged
Paul Lemieux Posts: 1792 Registered: Apr 2000	posted 03-19-2008 12:33 PM Gaping black eye sockets, open-mouthed grin, emaciated torso...that is one frightening clown. salmoned is right-on about the marks. I would say 1990s or so for this piece. IP: Logged
bascall Posts: 1629 Registered: Nov 99	posted 03-19-2008 03:33 PM In truth, it's not as ghoulish as my image makes it look. Less shadows improves the looks a lot. IP: Logged
Scott Martin Forum Master Posts: 11520 Registered: Apr 93	posted 03-19-2008 03:46 PM Maybe a souvenir from the Mexican holiday "Day of the Dead"? IP: Logged
Dale Posts: 2132 Registered: Nov 2002	posted 03-20-2008 05:49 PM This may be for the Mexican holiday of the Dead. It is held around the time of Halloween. Features a lot of skelatons in costume and so forth. My understanding is the people take the day to tend headstones etc. In Mexican markets there are candies in the shape of skulls etc. IP: Logged
Scott Martin Forum Master Posts: 11520 Registered: Apr 93	posted 03-20-2008 11:56 PM quote: The Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos The Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos, a festival celebrating the reunion of dead relatives with their families, November 1st and 2nd. Every year, on November 1st (All Saints Day) and 2nd (All Souls Day), something unique takes place in many areas of Mexico: Day of the Dead festivities. While it's strange for most of us to accept the fact that "death" and "festivities" can go hand-in-hand, for most Mexicans, the two are intricately entwined. This all stems from the ancient indigenous peoples of Mexico (Purepecha, Nahua, Totonac and Otomí) who believed that the souls of the dead return each year to visit with their living relatives - to eat, drink and be merry. Just like they did when they were living. Colorful flowers in the marketplace. Tempered somewhat by the arrival of the Spaniards in the 15th century, current practice calls for the deceased children (little angels) to be remembered on the previous day (November 1st, All Saints Day) with toys and colorful balloons adorning their graves. And the next day, All Souls Day, adults who have died are honored with displays of the departed's favorite food and drinks, as well as ornamental and personal belongings. Flowers, particularly the zempasúchil (an Indian word for a special type of marigold) and candles, which are placed on the graves, are supposed to guide the spirits home to their loved ones. A decorated gravesite. Other symbols include the elaborately-decorated pan de muerto (a rich coffee cake decorated with meringues made to look like bones), skull-shaped candies and sweets, marizpan death figures and papier maché skeletons and skulls. (the Nahua speaking peoples of pre-columbian Mexico saw the skull as a symbol of life - not death.) Today, these macabre symbols and other similar items fill the shops and candy stalls by mid October. During this time, homes are often decorated in the same manner as the graves. This may all seem morbid and somewhat ghoulish to those who are not part of that culture. But, for Mexicans who believe in the life/death/rebirth continuum, it's all very natural. this is not to say that they treat death lightly. They don't. It's just that they recognize it, mock it, even defy it. Death is part of life and, as such, it's representative of the Mexican spirit and tradition which says: "Don't take anything lying down - even death!" .... more IP: Logged
FWG Posts: 845 Registered: Aug 2005	posted 03-21-2008 11:48 AM TV-24 is not traced in any of the references I have. I understand there's a newer edition of The Little Book of Mexican Silver Trade and Hallmarks, but I haven't gotten it. Those marks are notoriously difficult, and the notes from Polly and salmoned are probably as far as identification can be taken at this time. It's a design I've seen a few times, always at that level of detail, and in a smaller (c. 3-inch) version as well. I sort of like it despite the lack of greater detail. So far as I can tell they're sold entirely to the tourist trade, and while they resonate with Day of the Dead imagery they can be bought at any time as a souvenir of the idea, rather than necessarily as part of actual participation in the celebrations. It's a fun pin to wear as long as you can deal with the size! IP: Logged
Paul Lemieux Posts: 1792 Registered: Apr 2000	posted 03-21-2008 01:16 PM I don't think this is supposed to be a Day of the Dead skull design, rather it looks more like a crudely rendered clown face. IP: Logged
jersey Posts: 1203 Registered: Feb 2005	posted 03-21-2008 01:25 PM Hello again! There is also an annual clown convention in Mexico where around 1,000 clowns attend. I would guess many of these pieces are/were made by various makers for that event especially. Jersey IP: Logged

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