Figural ceramicists in Caruaru produce a wide variety of forms, most representing typical scenes of daily or festive life in northeast Brazil. These two pieces represent a typical scene from Bumba-meu-boi (Whup! my Ox), a traditional dance drama preformed during the pre-Lenten celebrations in northeast Brazil. The drama itself is very complex and may involve as many as sixty characters, but usually only five or six. The scene represented here is that of the capitâo, or ranch owner, his horse, cavalo-marinho, and the boi, or bull. Basically, the plot revolves around the misfortunes of a bull, greatly prized by a rancher, who is stolen and eventually killed after a long series of comic episodes.

Painted clay figures such as these are made in all sizes, from a few inches in height to near life-size. Da Silva’s pair is especially well-made. Note the special amount given to the captain’s elegant uniform.

Marion Oettinger, Jr., "Carnival Figures," The Folk Art of Latin America: Visiones Del Pueblo (New York: Dutton Studio Books in association with the Museum of American Folk Art, 1992), 90.