Beautiful Jesus with Halo on the Cross in a Bottle, Folk Art, Whimsy, Whimsey
Imagine the Joy of Opening this Special Bottle Whimsy on Christmas morning! This bottle was made by a amazing maker of religious bottles whose initials may be WB but is commonly referred to as the Southwestern Artist. The bottle contains a highly detailed and well carved figure of Jesus hanging on an ornate cross. Jesus’ body is painted in silver, and his facial hair and loin cloth painted in gold. His face and body are nicely carved with a great deal of detail. Around the head of Jesus is a thin wooden halo which is a distinct feature used by this artist in all his crucifixion scenes. The cross is painted gold and there are ornately carved wooden additions, painted in silver, added to the top and bottom of the crosspiece of the cross. On both sides of the upright of the cross are wooden scrolls painted in silver. The base is painted gold, and on each side of the base are carved pedestals painted silver. Each pedestal has a shave carved urn painted in gold. On the back of the cross are two long spears painted in silver and affixed to the crosspiece of the cross. There is a silver ladder with notches and three rungs. On top of the cross is a plaque painted in silver with “IHS” caved on it and with the letters painted in gold. “IHS” is a symbol used by the Roman Catholic Church with many traditions behind it; it is also the first three letters of Jesus’ name in Greek. The letters also stand for the phrase “Jesus, Savior of Man” in Greek. Today, the letters most commonly represent the Communion wafer, the Body of Christ. The bottle measures 11″ x 3 1/2″ and is sealed with a gold painted wooden stopper which holds the cross in place. Bottles by this Artist are indeed rare, and this is the most unique of his bottles. Of the more than 10 bottles known to have been made by this artist this is the only one known that is painted. This Artist is featured on pages 130 and 131 of Susan D. Jones book Genius in a Bottle, The Art and Magic of Whimsy in a Bottle. Opportunities to own bottles of this quality rarely come along. This is your chance to make this a truly unique and wonderful Christmas gift! We have additional bottles and other fine collectibles up for sale so please visit our other auctions. Thank you for shopping with us! The item “Beautiful Jesus with Halo on the Cross in a Bottle, Folk Art, Whimsy, Whimsey” is in sale since Sunday, November 17, 2019. This item is in the category “Art\Folk Art & Indigenous Art”. The seller is “behen” and is located in Owensboro, Kentucky. This item can be shipped to United States.
- Year: 1880 – 1900
- Width (Inches): 3 1/2″
- Subject: Crucifixion Scene Whimsy
- Type: Carving
- Date of Creation: 1800-1899
- Material: Wood
- Style: Folk Art
- Height (Inches): 11″
- Size: Small (up to 12in.)