SAINT ISIDORE is the Catholic Spanish patron saint of Farm Labor. He was known for his piety toward the poor and animals.
PAPA ZAKA is the loa of farmers in Vodou. So here, the paper chromolithographic image of Saint ISIDORE has been attached to the fabric and the picture has been beaded over except where the face and praying hands are visible under a clear plastic sheet.
This flag probably comes from one of the expert sewers in the Bel Air neighborhood of Port-au-Prince. Notice the flawless tight sewing of sequin and beads. The border design and half circles around the Saint's image are typical of the Bel Air "style"
NOTICE the play of matt and shinny sequins and beads. Also notice the way that the image of St. Isidore lies on a bed of partial orbs/circles which is also repeated in the border design. The entire image is an attempt at creating some depth of field through the use of orbs and varying the surface of the sequins and beads.
The first image was shot indoors and the rest in daylight. THIS FLAG IS SQUARE! My camera and I did not line up correctly to display that fact.
PROVENANCE : Purchased from Paul Haig Galleries, New Orleans. Mr. Haig purchased this flag from the estate of Campbell Wylly XIX, an assistant curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, who began collecting these pieces in the 1960s.