Attr. Joseph A. de Castro (20th Century) Filipino, Liberty Head Sculpture. Mixed media, depicting figures and American flag blending with a feminine face crowned with spikes. 

Size With Stand: 16 1/2 x 12 1/4 x 30 in. 

#43 #2407 . 

Native Filipinos began creating pottery around 1500 BC. Some excavated ceramic jars have shown that they were made to hold the remains of deceased loved ones, and were decorated with anthropomorphic designs. Some earthenware pots dating to 225 AD had pot covers shaped like human heads, but the overall design of pottery in the Philippines remained virtually unchanged until contact with European explorers in the 16th Century. Ancient Filipino tribal art interwoven with contemporary forms, mediums, and styles has become a major part of the tourist trade since the Revolution of 1986 that ousted the dictator Ferdinand Marcos, with an entire generation of artists gaining recognition for their paintings, sculptures, and weavings from the 1990s onward. 

The de Castro Family of artisans, based out of Mandaluyong, a major barrio of the capital city Manila, designs and produces wooden and fossil stone inlay sculptures. Often they are shaped as jars or human faces, standing on metal or marble supports. Although other members of the family are involved in the artwork, it is primarily produced by two brothers: one is in Manila, who does most of the woodcarving, and another is in California who mills the stone sent from the Philippine shop and completes the inlay work. The brother in the Philippines appears to be named Joey de Castro, and the brother in America seems to be named Joseph A. de Castro, which is not confusing at all.

Small cracks throughout.