A Very Fine and Rare N.S. de Refugio Retablo by Geronimo de Leon

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 ...

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...

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

A beautiful 19th-century Spanish Colonial Mexican Folk Art ex-voto retablo lámina painting featuring Santo Niño de Atocha (also known as - Holy In...

A beautiful 19th century Spanish Colonial Mexican Folk Art ex-voto retablo lámina painting featuring Saint Rita De Cascia. Santa Rita is almost always depicted as she is here, with a trickle of blood and a thorn deeply embedded in her forehead. According to legend, in the year 1441, during a sermon on the Crown of Thorns, Santa Rita prayed so intently that a thorn detached itself from her crucifix and lodged itself in her forehead. For the next fifteen years, she bore this external sign of stigmatization and union with Christ. It was said her wound became so disturbing to view, that she spent the latter part of her life in isolation and prayer. At her canonization ceremony in the year 1900, Santa Rita de Cascia was bestowed the title of Patroness of Impossible Causes. In Mexico, Santa Rita is widely venerated as the Patroness Saint of mothers, abused wives, and heartbroken women. In this work, she is flanked by two small male figures representing her two beloved sons (notice the fine attention to the paintings of their faces and their glowing rosy red cheeks). She holds a large crucifix in one hand and a flagella whip, symbolizing her practice of mortifying the flesh, in her other hand. The work is hand painted on metal (likely tin). Ex-votos and retablos are often placed above the altars in churches or family shrines as votive offerings made in the form of religious pictures...

About An original 19th century Mexican folk retablo of Saint Francis. Oil paint on tin. St. Francis of Assisi, Italian San Francesco d’Assisi was born 1181-1182 in Assisi, duchy of Spoleto, Italy and died October 3, 1226. He was canonized July 16, 1228. He founded the Franciscan orders of the Friars Minor and the lay Third Order. He was also a leader of the movement of evangelical poverty in the early 13th century. His evangelical zeal, consecration to poverty, charity, and personal charisma drew thousands of followers. Francis’s devotion to the human Jesus and his desire to follow Jesus’ example reflected and reinforced important developments in medieval spirituality. Cretor 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...