Water Spout Rendered by Raymond E. Noble (artist), 1939 watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite on paper overall: 35.5 x 26.1 cm (14 x 10 1/4 in.) Original IAD Object: none given Index of American Design 1943.8.6899

From the Tour: Folk Arts of the Spanish Southwest from the Index of American Design
Object 6 of 25

This waterspout in the form of a human face, from the Mission of San Luis Rey de Francia, in San Diego County, and the one from Santa Barbara may both have been designed by the same person -- Padre Antonio Peyri or his assistant. Padre Peyri was in charge of San Luis mission from its establishment in 1798 until 1832. The Mission of San Luis Rey, named after King Louis IX of France, was adorned with other stone waterspouts carved in the shape of animal or human faces. Such decoration derives from European tradition; in Spain, such faces can be seen as corbels, or architectural supports, on medieval churches.

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