Tlaquepaque-Style Polychrome Terracotta Fruit Bowl & Seven Sculpted Fruits

Picture the center of a long farm table, a Saltillo-tiled entry hall, or a kitchen island that's been missing its anchor: this is that object. A large polychrome terracotta bowl with a molded rope-twist rim holds seven individually sculpted forms — a green pear with applied leaf, a blushing peach, a yellow lemon with green calyx, a striped ribbed melon, a yellow squash, a half-wedge of watermelon with painted seeds along the rind, and a slender banana — each painted in mottled greens, ochres, terra cottas, and deep reds. At 22 pounds assembled, it doesn't sit on a table so much as claim it.

The chalky matte finish, hand-modeled forms, and polychrome palette are consistent with the decorative export tradition centered in Tlaquepaque, Jalisco — the craft district outside Guadalajara that flourished from the 1960s through the 1980s and became internationally known for large-scale painted terracotta tableware and decorative still-life compositions in this style.

CONDITION

Good with no remarkable damage. Minor finish wear and small surface losses throughout consistent with age and handling; the chalky, weathered appearance is part of the intended character of the set.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Bowl Only: 4" H × 17" Diameter
• Overall (with Fruit): 9" H × 17" W × 17½" D
• Weight: 22 lbs
• Construction: Terracotta, hand-painted polychrome
• Lot Includes: Bowl + 7 Sculpted Fruits
• Campbell's Soup Can (4" H) Shown for Scale — Not Included