Terracotta figurines

from: Alto do Moura, PE

17cm x 10cm

This small terracotta sculpture represents a banda de pífanos: a traditional musical ensemble central to the cultural life of Brazil’s Northeast. Hand-modelled and fired using local ceramic traditions, the figurines reflect the distinctive style for which Alto do Moura is known, following the aesthetic legacy of Mestre Vitalino.

Bandas de pífanos (often translated as fife bands) are composed of flutes, drums and other percussion instruments, and are closely associated with religious processions and popular festivities.

Rooted in popular tradition, works such as this stand as both artistic expressions and testimonies to the living cultural heritage sustained by the ceramic makers of Alto do Moura.