Master Puerto Rican artisan Domingo Orta, hijo (Jr.) created this vintage carving --- Carreta de Bueyes --- sometime in the 1980's under his father's watchful eye. Orta, the father, was known primarily for carving wooden saints and The Three Wise Men. Domingo Jr and his three brothers carve "estampas" (pictures or images) of Puerto Rican life as well as wooden statues of the saints and The Three Kings. 

   This carving is in very very good condition, is rarely found for sale and one of a kind. The carving is detailed and the wood is smooth, has no cracks, termites or warping. The oxcart driver's shoes are broken off (See photos) and his prodding stick is broken in half (See photo), however both can be easily glued together and reattached without a trace. It is not signed, but Domingo Jr. confirmed in a phone call that he carved it. The collector wrote his name on the bottom.   

    BIO:   Domingo Orta, Jr. is in his 70's.  He learned the art of wood carving as a boy from his father, Domingo Orta, Sr., who passed down the tradition to his four sons and wife, Santia. Decades ago, the family opened a shop in El Tuque section of Ponce, Puerto Rico which they still operate. Orta, father, is considered one of Puerto Rico's greatest wood carvers of his generation. His works are part of the permanent collections at the Ponce Museum of Art, the Vatican in Rome, Museo Santiago de Compostela in Spain, Spain's Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Compostela and the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. Orta Sr. died in 2007 and his wife died in 2013. Domingo, Jr. carries on the wood carving tradition with his three brothers. (156/P9)

NOTE: PLEASE ASK QUESTIONS BEFORE PURCHASING SINCE WE DON'T ACCEPT RETURNS or REFUNDS. The piece will be bubble wrapped and shipped in a very large sturdy box. FREE pick-up.