Siurell demon

Material: clay, whitewashed and hand painted.
Measurements: 13 cm
Product made in Mallorca.

Joan Miró was always interested in all forms of popular art, and very especially in the ‘siurells.’ In an interview he said:

I observe them constantly. Each figure has its own physiognomy, even though they’re made in their hundreds. They’re very popular, especially among children. [...] Soon there’ll be a festivity here, a popular festival with a small fair. You’ll see lots of small dolls like these on sale, they only cost a few pesetas. For me these dolls have an extraordinary importance, look at the expressivity of the face and the posture..."

The colours of the statuettes – red, green, blue on white – have clear Mediterranean reminiscences, like Miró’s own works.