Death Cart Driver
Brooklyn Museum
Death Cart
Unknown artist of the Los Hermanos Penitentes Society, 1890-1910
Taos, New Mexico
wood, hide, hair, pigment
This sculpture is a smaller version of the death carts that were pulled by penitent brothers during Holy Week processions of the Los Hermanos Penitentes Society. Public processions reenacted the sorrow and suffering of Christ's final days, with some penitent brothers participating self-flagellation with whips and dragging large, heavy crosses and death carts. Here the female Angel of Death, Dona Sebastiana, serves as a reminder of human mortality and the importance of preparing for a good death through prayer and virtuous deeds.
Death Cart Driver
Brooklyn Museum
Death Cart
Unknown artist of the Los Hermanos Penitentes Society, 1890-1910
Taos, New Mexico
wood, hide, hair, pigment
This sculpture is a smaller version of the death carts that were pulled by penitent brothers during Holy Week processions of the Los Hermanos Penitentes Society. Public processions reenacted the sorrow and suffering of Christ's final days, with some penitent brothers participating self-flagellation with whips and dragging large, heavy crosses and death carts. Here the female Angel of Death, Dona Sebastiana, serves as a reminder of human mortality and the importance of preparing for a good death through prayer and virtuous deeds.