Here is an earlier example of the Mexican Pulpit. It has significantly more detail and would be far more time consuming to make. The vertical cut slats are cut all the way through the bone. Based on the progression of the design, from the slow and limited production sets like this one, to the high volume tourist sue veneers of the 1970’s, I suspect mine to date to the late 19th century. Dermot Rochford had a similarly detailed version in his collection which he dated the same. His set had some different design details, which one would expect from sets that were individually crafted as art, rather than more mass produced striving to be identical.
Josh
I think this picture might help date Mexican Pulpit sets. It’s a studio still picture from the 1949 Bogart film “Knock on Any Door.” It seems likely the set was fairly available in Hollywood at the time. So a date of the 1940’s for that version seems reasonable.
jvreij
Hello Josh
Thank you very much for this picture, which is proving that the sets were made way earlier then I thought!
In fact they have been made during quite some time and I wonder if they are sill being made today?
Here is an earlier example of the Mexican Pulpit. It has significantly more detail and would be far more time consuming to make. The vertical cut slats are cut all the way through the bone. Based on the progression of the design, from the slow and limited production sets like this one, to the high volume tourist sue veneers of the 1970’s, I suspect mine to date to the late 19th century. Dermot Rochford had a similarly detailed version in his collection which he dated the same. His set had some different design details, which one would expect from sets that were individually crafted as art, rather than more mass produced striving to be identical.
I think this picture might help date Mexican Pulpit sets. It’s a studio still picture from the 1949 Bogart film “Knock on Any Door.” It seems likely the set was fairly available in Hollywood at the time. So a date of the 1940’s for that version seems reasonable.
Hello Josh
Thank you very much for this picture, which is proving that the sets were made way earlier then I thought!
In fact they have been made during quite some time and I wonder if they are sill being made today?
I will add the new insights to my website page.