Mexican Wall Decorations

Antique 1850 Mexican colonial style oil on copper religious painting.

The 19th Century Painting from Mexico in Gilt Frame is a captivating work of art that showcases the rich artistic tradition of the region. Set within an ornate gilt frame, the painti...

Antique retablo showing Saint Joseph with a child Jesus. Vibrantly painted in rich turquoise and burnt orange colors. Matted in cream and velvet in a v...

Original landscape art, forest and lake scene. signed by artist.

The Crucifixion, oil on tin Spanish Colonial retablo, including Mary and Saint John, in a carved wooden frame, The Crucifixion is a central p...

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...

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...

About An original 19th century Mexican folk retablo "Veronica's Veil" or "El Divono Rostro" in Spain . Oil paint on tin. The Veil of Veronica, known in Italian as the Volto Santo or Holy Face, is a Roman Catholic Relic which, according to legend, bears the likeness of the Face of Jesus that was imprinted on it prior to Jesus' crucifixion. According to Roman Catholicism, Saint Veronica encountered Jesus in Jeruselum on the way to Calvary. When she paused to wipe the sweat (Latin, suda) off his face with her veil, his image was left on the veil. In the small village of Osa de la Vega in Spain, there lived a couple who led a very pious life. They were Gregorio de la Torre and Isabel Corral. From their father, Juan Montilla, they inherited a picture of the Face of Jesus or the Divino Rostro. A story that is told one day, to the amazement of many who confirmed its veracity, the picture began to perspire with living blood. News of this extraordinary event spread swiftly and widely throughout the land. 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...

ABOUT An original 19th century Mexican folk retablo "Veronica's Veil" or "El Divono Rostro" in Spain . Oil paint on tin. The Veil of Veronica, known in Italian as the Volto Santo or Holy Face, is a Roman Catholic Relic which, according to legend, bears the likeness of the Face of Jesus that was imprinted on it prior to Jesus' crucifixion. According to Roman Catholicism, Saint Veronica encountered Jesus in Jeruselum on the way to Calvary. When she paused to wipe the sweat (Latin, suda) off his face with her veil, his image was left on the veil. In the small village of Osa de la Vega in Spain, there lived a couple who led a very pious life. They were Gregorio de la Torre and Isabel Corral. From their father, Juan Montilla, they inherited a picture of the Face of Jesus or the Divino Rostro. A story that is told one day, to the amazement of many who confirmed its veracity, the picture began to perspire with living blood. News of this extraordinary event spread swiftly and widely throughout the land. 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...

We offer this fantastic religious painting with the motive of Maria José and the niño Jesus.

This beautiful piece emerged from the graphic compendium Costumes civils, militaires et religieux, du Mexique civil, work of the renowned Italian artist Claudio Linati (1 February 1790 – 11 December 1832), written in French and printed in Brussels in 1828. This original and signed watercolor is the outcome of Linati’s artistic values and expert lithographic technique. In words of the author “I have chosen the most elegant gears, as well as the most bizarre, like the one on this plate, which may contrast by its severity with the alluring of the more feathery costume of the palencanas. (…) The basket carried by the woman is carefully made of woven cane. For a better characterization of the country, this young native female carries an anona, known among the Spaniards as pineapple due to its similarities with the pinecone”. This plate is the sole image of the style composition prevailing in Costumes civils, militaires et religieux, du Mexique civil consisting in precise details of costume and material culture, as can be recognized in the representation where even though the female figure is placed in the foreground, the focus of the image falls into gear: a blue checkered shawl and skirt.

This signed plate emerged from the graphic compendium entitled Costumes civils, militaires et réligieux du Mexique. In this work, Linati included not only picturesque representations of the common people, but also a few historical figures, meticulously commented on and chosen out of a commitment to the ideals of the independence and reform of Mexico. The frontispiece of the book, this plate is the only one that shows the subject from the torso up; by doing so, the image resembles the classical style in the busts of antiquity. The presence of the Emperor sets...

Beautiful depiction of N.S. Refugio de Pecadores, patron saint of Zacatecas. She appears crowned and holds the crowned Child. She wears a scarf across her right shoulder and her bl...

one of the most desirable of all of the retablos from this fascinating religious art form, this subject of this piece is called La Preciosa Sangre de Cristo, or Eucharistic Man of So...