Enamored by Enamel

Sometimes my eye is magnetically drawn to some object at the thrift store and I know it is a great find, not just my quirky aesthetic, and I cannot fathom why somebody else hasn't already snatched it up. Like this large plate.

It is enameled copper, signed by the artist. The airbrushed, kaleidoscopic flower design says 70's to me, but then I grew up in a town where the 60's didn't probably arrive until the 70's.

I made out the first name of the signature as Miguel, and after a web search, found a Mexican enamel artist named Miguel Angel Pineda. Yes! The signatures matched! And one of the enamel bowls pictured in this article has the same stenciled design. Pineda is a Mexican artist who fostered the art of enameling in Mexico, has created many well-known religious works (including 36 enamel doors for the famous Shrine of the Virgin of Guadelupe in Mexico City that took him 3 years to create) and has exhibited all over the world. What a treasure I found!

Peaceful Pagoda

Today's sweet thrift store find was a Chinese artwork,a peaceful pagoda scene carved in intricate dimensional detail from cork. It is 9 inches by 21 inches. The deep beveled mat is wrapped in silk. I did a bit of web research and now think this piece is from the early 1900's. It is in amazingly good shape, with just a few small crumbs of cork that have broken off. This crummy photo with reflections on the glass does not do it justice.

In this close-up you can see the detailed carving and the background painting in blue ink.