Vintage Celaya Mexican Folk Art Paper Mache White Burro Pair, mid 1900s

Handcrafted and hand painted, these paper mache (papier-mâché) burros have been family favorites for as long as we can remember, passed from our grandparents who often visited Mexico in the mid-century, to our mother, to us.
 
We have identified them as originating in Celaya, Mexico, in the early to mid 1900s, with their distinctive eyes, hooves, painted short main and lines on the top, and the stripes on their legs matching those from two sets sold at auction. There is one with the same back lines and tucked tail in the Tucson Museum of Art and a set of three smaller ones sold by Artemis Fine Arts in 2016. See the smaller burros listed here: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/48152296_trio-of-20th-c-mexican-papier-mache-burros-and-goat-louisville-co
 
This white pair is old and showing signs of age. The larger burro has some peeling in the mane area and some water stains as shown in photos. The smaller one has cracks in the two front legs and a straw tail that has been partly lost (the larger one has a paper mache tail that reaches to one ankle).
 
Larger burro: H  6 3/4” x L 7 3/4” x D 2 1/2”
Smaller burro: H 3 3/4” x L 4 1/2” x D 1 3/4”
 
Disclaimer: We have tried to make sure colors shown in photos are representative of the real colors of each item. We have tried to identify all imperfections in descriptions, but we may have missed some. If you are unhappy with your purchase, let us know.