TANE began making its unmistakable Roosters in 1961.
The success of this design was such that President Adolfo Lopez Mateos gave copies of these pieces in a silver case to the Belgian King Alberto and Queen Paola, who were on an official visit to Mexico. The TANE Roosters were also acquired by María Félix, who kept them in her living room table, and continually took them to Europe to give them as gifts to her dearest friends. Their popularity grew among heads of state, royalty, diplomats and celebrities because of their Mexican symbolism and the important craftsmanship that each Rooster requires, by the goldsmiths of TANE.Designed in 1961 from the notes of Pedro Leites in the Cuatro Caminos palenque, in 2021 TANE celebrates the 60th anniversary of the iconic design through six new unique editions: six new interpretations of the Rooster from the vision of six artists and creatives who, like the TANE Roosters six decades ago, today shape Mexico’s creative scene.
Representatives of Mexican design, the TANE Roosters are a symbol of struggle, pride and transcendence in the national imagination. Designed in 1961, today TANE Mexico 1942 celebrates the 60th anniversary of the iconic Rooster through six contemporary and unique editions of the Rooster — from the point of view of six of Mexico’s most renowned artists. For this celebration, TANE reinterpreted the original Gallo in attack position, as designed by Pedro Leites: the number and size of feathers grew, entirely hand chiseled, to create a specimen that displays the most imposing plumage ever seen. The piece is made in sterling silver with two eyes, cut out of blue sapphires. Unique artwork handmade in Mexico.
Paulsen’s proposal of the Rooster is figurative in nature; it abounds in the detail of the shapes and textures that define each feather in volume, to give life to a hen fully elaborated in sterling silver. Thus, she creates a reinterpretation of the icon in today’s world: the feminine and maternal spirit that the artist considers fundamental in the new chapter of the TANE Roosters. Unique artwork handmade in Mexico.
A Rooster made in sterling silver, composed of a central column that — rich in textures transferred directly from the ceramics worked by the artist — provides the structural element; while the play of whimsical feathers that surround it provide the poetry to an expressive, imposing and imaginative Rooster. Unique artwork handmade in Mexico.
MIGUEL CASTRO LEÑERO
Castro Leñero’s vision bets on a synthesis that recovers the symbolism of the Rooster in Mexican culture, from cinema, painting and literature to the cockerel, to execute a sculpture without interruptions, robust and not exempt of a playful touch, part of the artist’s symbology. His Rooster is composed of geometric volumes, simple but forceful strokes that bring out the polished finish of the sterling silver in which the work was created. Unique artwork handmade in Mexico.
Hernández’ proposal explores the maximum abstraction of the Rooster through the characteristics that make it recognizable: its silhouette and volume. Freeing it from superfluous ornamentation, the artist creates a design of smooth and continuous forms to achieve a reinterpretation of a traditional icon — in a contemporary and timeless vision. Work made in sterling silver. Unique artwork handmade in Mexico.
Cortina’s interpretation of the Rooster is a complete deconstruction. She takes the elements of the beak, wings and tail, turns them into geometric blocks made of sterling silver, combined with 23K yellow gold vermeil and black oxide, to integrate them into a central piece of obsidian with a structural bronze base.Achieving not only compositional balance, but also perfect proportions and carefully studied radii to coexist in harmony. Unique artwork handmade in Mexico.