A fabulous vintage hand painted wooden beam from the Andean village of Sarhua - dated 1970. Beautiful hand painted graphics with musicians, weavers, dancers, animals and various village scenes. 

* From the estate of Sanford Besser, well known collector and donor to International Folk Art Museum - Santa Fe, NM. 

Following Description from 'Folk Art of the Andes' by Barbara Mauldin:

Until recently a unique house blessing tradition was carried out in the village of Sarhua, located in an isolated region of the Department of Ayacucho, Peru. Houses were often constructed with the help of friends of the community, and a particular couple was chosen as ceremonial sponsors – compadres de la casa. Part of their responsibility was to commission the carving and painting of the main support beam, or tabla, for the ceiling that would be put in place at the end of construction to serve as a blessing for the new home. The painting was done in horizontal sections. An image of the Virgin Mary was usually portrayed first and the sections above showed different members of the family, carrying on the types of activities and events they are known for. The top section of the beam was usually painted with an image of the sun. 

Dimensions: 72 inches vertical x 7 inches wide x 2 inches deep.