Mexican Folk Art Retablo on Metal of St. Joseph and Baby Jesus, 19th Century

Antique Mexican retablo made in 1890 which includes a woman praying to the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ. Framed in wooden frame ornately carve...

ABOUT An original 19th century Mexican folk retablo. Oil paint on tin. Subject unknown. CREATOR Unknown. DATE OF MANUFACTURE c.1880. MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES Oil Paint on Tin. CONDITION Good. Wear consistent with age and use. DIMENSIONS H 14 in. W 10 in. HISTORY Retablos, better known as 'laminas' in Mexico, are small oil paintings on tin, wood and sometimes copper which were used in home altars to venerate the almost infinite number of Catholic saints. The literal translation for 'retablo' is 'behind the altar.' This unique genre of art, deeply rooted in European history, was brought to Mexico with the arrival of the Spanish and then ultimately adopted by New World mestizo natives to become what is known today as the Mexican folk retablo. The retablo was an art form that flourished in post conquest Mexico and then ultimately, with the introduction of inexpensive mediums such as tin, reached its pinnacle of popularity in the last quarter of the 19th century. With some exceptions, mostly untrained artists from the provinces worked to produce and reproduce these sacred images; some subjects painted more prolifically than others. A typical "retablero" may have reproduced the same image hundreds, if not thousands of times in his or her career. These oil paintings were sold to devout believers who displayed them in home altars to honor their patron saints. There are virtually hundreds of saints, each invoked to remedy a different situation. "San Ysidro Labrador," the patron saint of farmers, is venerated for good weather...

A beautiful 19th-century Spanish Colonial Mexican Folk Art ex-voto retablo lámina painting featuring a crucified Jesus Christ, angel, or saint (possibly Saint Sebastian who was a Rom...

A beautiful 19th-century Spanish Colonial Mexican Folk Art ex-voto retablo lámina painting featuring Mother Mary with the crowned infant Jesus Christ (standing on clouds) in her arms...

A beautiful 19th-century Spanish Colonial Mexican Folk Art ex-voto retablo lámina painting featuring Mother Mary with the infant Jesus Christ (faded and now almost a ghost-like figur...

This late 19th century Mexican Folk Art devotional painting depicts St. Rita of Casia, the patron saint of lost and improbable causes. Wishing to join an Augustinian convent ...