Antique & Vintage Postcards

Warm amber and terracotta tones wash over this richly composed still life: a hand-painted Talavera vessel in classic cobalt-blue-on-white bursts with golden marigolds — cempasúchil, the flower of the dead — while beside it a boldly geometric Huichol-style pot lies tipped on its side, its intricate zigzag bands of red, yellow, green and blue catching the studio light, and three small green-gold oranges cluster between them on a woven petate mat backed by rose-damask fabric. This is Mexican popular arts photographed at their most lush, the work of Luis Márquez — one of Mexico's most celebrated mid-century photographers, whose images defined the country's cultural self-presentation for international audiences for decades. Published by Publicaciones Fischgrund under their "Arco Iris" (Rainbow) series with exclusive rights from Diego Rivera's pictorial estate, the card is unused and in excellent condition, a beautiful example of the intersection of fine photography and artisanal Mexican craft culture.