A skull with a beard
ca. 1880–1910
Medium
Zincograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 3 3/4 × 2 13/16 in. (9.5 × 7.2 cm) Image: 13/16 × 1/2 in. (2 × 1.3 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Roberto Berdecio, 1960
Accession Number
60.678.114
Tags
Art Historical Context
Created around the turn of the 20th century, “A skull with a beard” is a striking zincograph by the celebrated Mexican printmaker José Guadalupe Posada. Working in a period of political upheaval just before the Mexican Revolution, Posada produced thousands of affordable broadsheets that reached a wide public. This tiny print—measuring barely an inch across—shows his signature calavera, or skull, motif rendered with economical yet expressive lines made possible by the zinc plate technique, which allowed for quick, inexpensive reproduction. Posada’s skeletal figures were never simply macabre; t...
About the Artist
José Sanchez|José Guadalupe Posada (Mexican|Mexican) · 1895 |1851 –1910 |1913
Mexican, active ca. 1900–1910|Mexican, 1851–1913