Lot 374

Two Brazilian Folk Art Ceramic Wedding Couples on Horseback by Manuel Eudocio

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Lot 374
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Two Brazilian Folk Art Ceramic Wedding Couples on Horseback by Manuel Eudocio
Two Brazilian Folk Art Ceramic Wedding Couples on Horseback by Manuel Eudocio
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Two Brazilian Folk Art Ceramic Wedding Couples on Horseback by Manuel Eudocio

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

Manuel Eudocio (Brazilian, 1931-2016). Two Wedding Couples on Horseback. Ceramic sculptures, n.d. Both signed on underside of horses. A pair of hand-modeled clay sculptures depicting a rural Northeastern Brazilian wedding, rendered in two sizes by the same hand. Each groom sits astride a chestnut horse in a crisp white suit topped by a scarlet hat and matching necktie, gathering the reins in one fist, while his veiled bride perches sidesaddle behind him, her white gown accented at the breast with a spray of red-dotted florets. The horses wear golden bridles picked out against glossy dark manes, their tack articulated in low relief. Fired without enamel and finished in bright oil paint, the figures carry the maker's signature touch, eyes formed as a small white relief with a central black dot. Both pieces are signed on the underside of the horses. Such wedding groups belong to the celebrated figurative tradition of Alto do Moura, capital of Brazilian ceramic folk art. Size of larger: 3.5" W x 8" H x 7.75" D (8.9 cm W x 20.3 cm H x 19.7 cm D).

About the artist:

Manuel Eudocio Rodrigues (1931-2016) was among the most celebrated folk sculptors of Alto do Moura, the pottery village near Caruaru in Pernambuco that became the beating heart of Brazilian ceramic figurative art. Orphaned young and raised by his grandmother, he modeled clay dolls for market stalls as a boy, the common apprenticeship of country children in the region. His life as an artisan crystallized in the late 1940s when Mestre Vitalino settled in Alto do Moura; working alongside Vitalino and his brother-in-law Ze Caboclo, Eudocio absorbed their techniques yet forged a distinct hand. It was he and Ze Caboclo who devised the characteristic eye, a raised dab of white paint centered with black, seen on these very figures.

He favored scenes of Northeastern life, cangaceiros, rural weddings, and above all oxen, which became emblematic of his output. Working the wet clay by hand, he fired the pieces without glaze in a backyard wood kiln and finished them in vivid oil paint. His work was collected across Brazil and abroad in Germany, France, Portugal, and the United States; a piece titled "Familia de Retirantes" was presented to Pope Benedict XVI. Honored as a living patrimony at the Folklore Museum of Rio de Janeiro in 2005, Eudocio passed the craft to his sons, who continue the family tradition.

Provenance: private Las Vegas, Nevada, USA collection

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Item # 203680

  • Condition: Larger has had repair or fissure to groom's proper left arm and chip to bride's right foot. Otherwise, more petite is intact and both are excellent.

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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