Lot 381

Mexican Folk Art Carved Wood Alebrije - Rooster on a Bicycle by Martin Melchor

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Lot 381
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Mexican Folk Art Carved Wood Alebrije - Rooster on a Bicycle by Martin Melchor
Mexican Folk Art Carved Wood Alebrije - Rooster on a Bicycle by Martin Melchor
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Mexican Folk Art Carved Wood Alebrije - Rooster on a Bicycle by Martin Melchor

Estimate: $500 - $750

Starting Bid: $250

(0 Bids)
by Artemis Fine Arts
August 7, 2026 9:00 AM MDT
Live Auction
686 S. Taylor Avenue
Suite 108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

Mexico, Oaxaca, San Martin Tilcajete, ca. late 20th to 21st century CE. A rooster riding a bicycle, carved in wood and painted in vibrant polychrome. The figure wears a dotted crest and dapper clothing, with the village name inscribed along the bicycle frame, and the artist's name on the foot. Martin Melchor is well known among collectors for his whimsical animals on bicycles, and examples of his work are widely exhibited and collected. Size: 8.5" W x 9.65" H x 4.25" D (21.6 cm W x 24.5 cm H x 10.8 cm D).

Martin Melchor of San Martin Tilcajete is widely regarded as a pioneer of the "animals doing human things" subgenre within Oaxacan wood carving, an inventive branch of the alebrije tradition that emerged from the villages of San Martin Tilcajete and Arrazola in the later twentieth century. Carved from soft copal wood and finished in vivid acrylics with fine dotwork ornament, his pieces have circulated through major folk art galleries and museum collections, and remain highly sought by collectors of contemporary Mexican folk art.

Provenance: private Las Vegas, Nevada, USA collection

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Item # 203977

  • Condition: Minor scuffs and stains to surface.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000