Folk Art Paintings
FOLK ART STYLE
Folk art is a genre of art that shares the creator’s traditions, offering not just an artistic display but an opportunity to learn about a culture. Antique, new and vintage folk art typically reflects a heritage or location. It can include utilitarian objects and handmade art as diverse as weather vanes, duck decoys, portraiture and paintings, carnival art and quilts.
Quilts are a quintessential part of American folk art but their roots are international, with quilting dating back to Ancient Egypt. The practice spread to Europe and was especially prominent in the Middle Ages, with one of the oldest surviving examples being the Tristan quilt made in Sicily in the 14th century. They were made as bedcovers and clothing, including as a layer for knights to wear beneath their armor. Native American folk art includes functional objects reflecting their heritage, such as baskets, textiles and wooden pieces.
Elsewhere, the vast range of work associated with Mexican folk art includes masks made by Mexican craftspeople for traditional celebrations and ceremonial dances. Mexican masks are part of the country’s folk-art traditions that go back thousands of years and play a role in festivals and theater.
Works in the folk art tradition are valuable because of the skills involved, like weaving, hand-carving wood and even stonework. Many folk artists are self-taught, while some train as apprentices within their community. By using available materials and taking a personal approach to their creations, artists ensure each piece is unique and conveys a story.
During the Great Depression, artistic materials in America were hard to come by, so artisans used discarded wood from cigar boxes and shipping crates to make highly stylized, notched pieces — most often picture frames and boxes — that are today sought after by collectors. This folk art style is called tramp art and was popular from roughly 1870 until the 1940s.
Folk art brings vibrant culture and traditions into your home. Browse an extensive collection of antique, new and vintage folk art on 1stDibs.
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Item type: Antique and Vintage
Style: Folk Art
"Portrait of a Man with Bowtie" Painting on Canvas by Lee Godie
By Lee Godie
Located in Skokie, IL
Lee Godie "Portrait of a man with bowtie" painting on canvas, USA
Additional Information:
Materials: Ink and paint on window canvas
Dimensions: Frame: 21" H x 17" W
Condition: Very ...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri Indigenous Aboriginal Art Large Original Painting
Located in Studio City, CA
A wonderful, unique, and quite engaging original acrylic painting on canvas artboard titled "Grass Seed Dreaming" by indigenous Australian Aboriginal art...
Category
20th Century Australian Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Paint
Madonna and Child, Oil on Tin, 19th C
Located in New York, NY
Madonna and Child, oil on tin, 19th C, likely Mexican or Latin American and depicting the Virgin crowned and holding the Christ Child (with holes from pre...
Category
19th Century Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Tin
Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri Signed Indigenous Aboriginal Art Original Painting
Located in Studio City, CA
A wonderful, unique, and quite engaging original acrylic painting on canvas artboard titled "Banana/Potato Dreaming" by indigenous Australian Aboriginal artist Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri (1932-2002) who is universally considered to be one of the most collected and renowned Australian Aboriginal artists. His paintings are held in galleries and collections in Australia and elsewhere, including the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the National Gallery of Australia, the Kelton Foundation (USA), and the Royal Collection.
Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri was born in Tjuirri, an area northwest of Alice Springs also known as Napperby Station (the original month/day are still unknown). Clifford enjoyed a traditional bush upbringing and was given the name Possum by his paternal grandfather. His career as an artist began in the 1950s when he carved snakes and goannas. By the 1970's he was one of the most accomplished carvers in Central Australia. His first opportunity to paint came when one of Albert Namatjira...
Category
20th Century Australian Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Paint
Pair of Lacquered Panel Duck Paintings by Artist Ira Yeager
By Ira Yeager
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Folk art style pair of cabinet door panels that have been lacquer painted by artist Ira Yeager (American 1938-2022). Beautifully depicted pair of white ducks amid colorful flora and fauna. Vivid green and yellow dominated paintings on arched wooden...
Category
20th Century American Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Wood
Martin Jonas "Peasant Primitive" Painting D. 1962
Located in Peabody, MA
An early Slavic folk school oil by the artist and farmer Martin Jonas (1924-1996), who is considered one of the founders of the world famous naive “peasan...
Category
1960s Serbian Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paint
K. Hutchings - 'Lac Léman' - Vintage Landscape Painting - Unframed - circa 1990
Located in Chatham, ON
K. HUTCHINGS - 'Lac Léman' (Lake Geneva) - Vintage acrylic landscape painting on stretched canvas - unframed - signed lower right - signed/titled/dated verso - circa 1990.
Excelle...
Category
Late 19th Century Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Large Vintage Framed Pichhavai Painting of Krishna, Radha and Gopis by Moonlight
Located in Morristown, NJ
Vintage Pichhavai painting on fabric of Krishna, Radha and female Gopis.
Krishna walking with Radha and the Gopis by moonlight. The colors, details...
Category
1970s Indian Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Fabric, Wood, Paint
Caribbean Painting of a Boat with Figures in the Style of Orville Bulman
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Whimsical acrylic painting on canvas of a boat with a woman and three chickens in a basket executed in a delightful naive style, reminiscent of Orville Bulman...
Category
Late 20th Century Caribbean Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Folk Art Animal Painting Brown and White Cats and Mouse Oil on Panel
Located in Munich, DE
This charming naive painting of two cats, one with a white fur, one with a reddish brown tiger fur, has been painted on a wooden panel using oil paints. It was painted around the las...
Category
1890s French Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Wood
19th Century American Folk Art Oil Painting Landscape Sailboats On River
Located in Stamford, CT
A 19th century American folk art oil painting on canvas depicting a river scene at dawn with a horse and rider on a bridge over a waterfall. A castle in the distance and sailboats on...
Category
Mid-19th Century American Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas
19th Century Painting of Island Lighthouse in Maine, Signed E. Chase
Located in Nantucket, MA
19th Century Painting of Island Lighthouse in Maine, signed E. Chase, an oil on board folk art painting of what appears to be Nash Island Light in Maine with square light tower...
Category
1870s American Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Other
"Untitled" Mixed Media Collage Painting by Loy Bolin
By Howard Finster
Located in Skokie, IL
Loy Bolin, "Untitled" Mixed media collage, circa 1980s.
Loy Bolin aka The Rinestone Cowboy 1909-1995. Known for his “Beautiful Holy Jeweled Home of The Rinestone Cowboy”. The walls-and ceiling were layered with cut and glued patterned panels of colored paper, tin foil and glitter on poster board. Loy was a street performer and wore elaborate suits when he preformed. Loy was on The Gong Show in the 1970’s. Loy said the patterns would come to him when he shut his eyes, after electro-shock therapy...
Category
1980s North American Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Glass, Pine, Paint, Paper
Large Oil Panting “Cleaning Fishes”, Social Realism Style
Located in AMSTERDAM, NH
Wonderful and interesting large social realism oil painting depicting fishermen and men and women at work, collecting and cleaning fishes.
We see the influence of folk art and socia...
Category
Late 20th Century Russian Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Paint
19th Century American Folk Art Oil Painting Landscape with Horses and River
Located in Stamford, CT
A 19th century oil painting on artist board depicting four horses in a bucolic setting on the banks of a river. The primitive style and naive perspective give this piece of Americana a real charm. In the original carved and painted frame. With the label of the renowned 19th century New York City purveyor of paints and art supplies...
Category
Mid-19th Century American Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paint
Antique Pair of Folk Art Collages Paintings of Partridges in Tramp Art Frames
Located in Munich, DE
This charming pair of collages of a male and a female partridge has been skilfully made out of feathers. The game birds have been set in a colourful landscape surround painted in watercolours. The paintings have been mounted by the last owners in oat coloured passe - partouts with white boardes...
Category
1880s Austrian Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Feathers
Tamar Markova Folk Art Painting, 1970s
Located in Costa Mesa, CA
Tamar Markova Folk Art painting, 1970s.
Category
20th Century Unknown Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Paint
Bali Hindu Textile Framed 'Kamasan' Painting, Indonesia, circa 1900
Located in Jimbaran, Bali
A Mid-20th Century 'Kamasan' cotton textile painting from Bali, Indonesia. The hand painted image has great detail and depicts Balinese Hindu mythology. This textile painting is stre...
Category
Early 1900s Balinese Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Cotton, Paint
Large Vintage Framed Pichhavai Painting of Krishna Playing His Flute
Located in Morristown, NJ
Vintage Pichhavai painting on fabric of Krishna playing is flute with Radha and female Gopis gathered by his side. The colors, details and facial ex...
Category
1970s Indian Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Fabric, Wood, Paint
Still Life with Flowers, Oil Painting on Canvas by American-Italian Artist
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Artwork from US born Italian artist Emanuele Laustino (Pittsburgh 1916-Asti 1988). Laustino was the son of immigrants from Asti´s countryside in Northern Italy, and moved to the Unit...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Wood
Caucasian School Man and Woman Oil on Canvas
Located in New York, NY
Caucasian school oil on canvas depicting a man and a woman seated on a bench, signed "Kovkas Z?" to lower right, housed in a orange painted wood frame.
Dimensions: Image: 41" H x ...
Category
20th Century Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Paint
Folk Art Portrait Miniature by Patrick Wybrant American Circa 1854
By Patrick Wybrant
Located in Hudson, NY
Watercolor on paper, young boy in a dress by Patrick Wybrant, circa 1850s. Purportedly a child of a prominent Boston Family.
Provenance: Property from the Collection of Maggie Cohen, New York City
Overall: 8-1/2"h x 7-1/2"w
Sight: 5-1/2"h x 4-1/2"w
This item can be viewed in person at The Berkshire Galleries in Great Barrington Massachusetts.
Patrick Wybrant was born in Rathdrum, County Wicklow in 1816. He painted in Great Britain from 1849 to 1852, spent approximately three years in the United States. During that time he painted watercolor portraits for prominent Massachusetts families. Wyrat returned to work in Yorkshire around 1855-1856. He may have continued to work until his death, in Knaresborough, West Riding...
Category
1850s American Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paint
19th C. Silk Embroidered and Hand Painted Seascape by Thomas Willis
Located in Nantucket, MA
19th century silk embroidered and hand painted oil on canvas seascape by Thomas Willis (1850 - 1925), depicting the schooner-rigged racing yacht MARION W...
Category
1880s American Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Silk
19th Century Seascape with Lighthouse
Located in Nantucket, MA
19th Century seascape with lighthouse, circa 1890, an oil on canvas view of a white-washed lighthouse tower on a small offshore rocky ledge, most...
Category
Late 19th Century American Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Vintage Folk Art Ship on River Landscape Long Format Painting
Located in Seguin, TX
Antique circa 1915 oil on wood board folk art river scene with ship flying American flag painting, wood is from an old tobacco crate. Unsigned. ...
Category
Early 20th Century American Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Wood, Paint
Large Oil Painting on Canvas, Modernist Abstract, by Jim Bray, circa 1963
By Jim Bray
Located in Buffalo, NY
Large oil painting on canvas. Modernist Abstract, by Jim Bray, circa 1963. Charming image. Child-like. Great use of color, texture, space.
Category
1960s American Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Paint
Rare Late 19th Century Oil Well Derrick Painting
Located in Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Presenting a captivating and historically significant folk art painting from the late 19th century: an oil rig scene believed to date circa 1892. This remarkable artwork, executed in oil on board, offers a rare glimpse into the early depictions of the burgeoning oil industry...
Category
1890s American Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Wood
Charles Saül Framed Haitian Vintage Village Scene Acrylic on Canvas Painting
Located in Miami, FL
An original framed acrylic on canvas painting of a Haitian village scene with people going back and forth, huts, and tall foliage and palm trees.
Signe...
Category
Late 20th Century Haitian Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Canvas
Naive Ethiopian Painting, Greatest Scenes of Religion, Society and History 1970s
Located in Budapest, HU
Naive Ethiopian painting, The Greatest Scenes of Religion, Society and History.
Oil on Canvas
Measures: 100 x 190 cm
s.b.r.
with Ge'ez language ...
Category
1970s Ethiopian Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Antique Victorian P. Hackett Americana Watercolor Painting School Boy with Horn
Located in Dayton, OH
Antique Victorian Americana watercolor portrait of a young boy dressed in blue and holding a horn. Signed P. Hackett on the back of the frame.
Category
19th Century Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paint, Paper
Folk Art Reverse Glass Tinsel Painting - Original Frame - U.S. - Circa 1850's
Located in Chatham, ON
Exceptional Folk Art reverse painting on glass with foil/tinsel back (églomisé) - original hand made wood frame with carved and painted details - unsigned - United States - circa 185...
Category
Mid-19th Century American Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Glass, Softwood, Paint
Oil Painting on Canvas of Haitian Village by Edouard Tran
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Enchanting oil painting on canvas depicting a serene Haitian village with trees, flowers, birds, and playful figures executed in a naive folk style. Sign...
Category
Mid-20th Century Haitian Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paint
Maxwell Mays Folk Art Oil on Canvas, Cascade Springs Colorado, 1983
By Maxwell Mays
Located in Morristown, NJ
Maxwell Mays (1918-2009) Painter and Illustrator. Signed and dated 1983, this large scale framed oil on canvas is a charming and detailed depiction of life in Cascade Springs, Colorado on a snowy day.
Maxwell Mays was born in Rhode Island in 1918, and focused his art on celebrating the landscapes of his home state. Known for their birds-eye perspectives and nostalgic style, Mays' prints have appeared multiple times on the cover of Yankee Magazine. His paintings hang in many establishments, including the University of Rhode Island, and are particular favorites of Rhode Island residents. Mays' artwork often depicts scenes from throughout Rhode Island and the surrounding areas of New England but he did produce works depicting communities from across America . Featuring town squares, farm lands, and harbors, Maxwell Mays' prints celebrate the Americana found in small towns.
A graduate of RISD, he began painting seriously while serving in the US Air Force in Brazil during WWII. His first one-man commercial show was at the Ferargil Gallery in New York in 1948. In the ensuing years he became notable for a number of highly successful art shows and magazine covers, and was a highly sought-after speaker and storyteller. As a successful businessman, he was Treasurer of Mays Manufacturing Company, a family business until its sale in the mid-1980s. He was Past President and Director Emeritus of the Providence Art...
Category
1980s American Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Wood, Paint
Reverse Glass Painting of Saint George and the Dragon
Located in Stamford, CT
Verre églomisé, or reverse glass painting with gilding of Saint George and the Dragon. St George shown riding his steed, slaying the dragon...
Category
Early 19th Century German Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Glass
Early 20th Century Southern American Folk Art Painting
Located in Chicago, IL
A captivating and intriguing early 20th century Southern American folk art panel, found in Mississippi, depicting a figure with what appears to be African tribal headgear, and wearing a white collared shirt with black suit jacket. The line work and attention to detail is extraordinary and mysterious, with the artist choosing to incorporate a natural knot in the board to form the mouth of the figure, and the left half of the drawing showing shading, but seemingly left unfinished. The frame is not terribly old, and is constructed from splatter-painted boards...
Category
Early 20th Century American Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Wood, Paint
19th Century Watercolor Seascape with Shipwreck
Located in Nantucket, MA
Antique seascape with shipwreck on a rocky shore, mid-19th century, a watercolor on paper seascape with a shipwrecked brig on the rocks, with another squall rolling in on horizon, un...
Category
Mid-19th Century American Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paper
JOHN R. WATTS, Folk Art Watercolor & Gouache Landscape Painting, U.S., C.1889
Located in Chatham, ON
JOHN R. WATTS (Unknown/Unidentified Artist) - Folk art watercolor and gouache landscape painting on paper - graphite highlights and shading - unframed - signed and dated lower right ...
Category
Late 19th Century American Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paint, Paper
Seascape with Ship Racing a Barkentine, by C.A.S. Orne, 1920
Located in Nantucket, MA
Antique Seascape with square-rigged ship racing a Barkentine, by C.A.S. Orne, 1920, a watercolor on paper stormy seascape with two square-riggers running before the wind, with choppy...
Category
1920s American Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paper
Naive Ethiopian Genre Painting, 1970s
Located in Budapest, HU
Naive Ethiopian Genre painting, 1970s
oil on canvas
with Ge'ez language inscriptions.
Category
1970s Ethiopian Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Fantastic 19th Century American Pair of Folk Art Still Life Paintings
Located in Wiscasset, ME
Each panel measures approximately 18" x 18". Very rare to see a pair of this quality. They have a great folk art appeal with watermelons, peaches, grapes, etc. Dating to the first ha...
Category
Mid-19th Century American Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Wood, Paint
Naive Ethiopian Painting Circle of Life 'Scene of the Year', 1970s
Located in Budapest, HU
The upper two lines show Months of Year form September to February and March to August, below the scenes of life.
with Ge'ez language inscriptions.
Category
1970s Ethiopian Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Naive Ethiopian Painting for the 79th Anniversary Italo-Ethiopian War in 1975
Located in Budapest, HU
Mengistu Haile Mariam and other Generals looking at the celebrators
oil on canvas painting, 90 x 190 cm
with Ge'ez language inscriptions.
Category
1970s Ethiopian Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Late 19th Century Wood Framed Folk Art Painting Depicting Hound Dogs by River
Located in Middleburg, VA
Late 19th Century Wood Framed Folk Art Painting Depicting Hound Dogs by River. The two dogs are hunting water fowl. Wood framing is modern. United States, 1...
Category
Late 19th Century American Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Paint
Mid-Century Haitian Painting of Animals in a Jungle by Eustache Louber
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Striking vintage Haitian acrylic painting on canvas of African animals in a jungle setting executed in a distinctive naive style. Signed by noted artist Eustache Loubert and presente...
Category
20th Century Haitian Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Mahogany, Canvas, Acrylic
JOHN R. WATTS, Folk Art Watercolor & Gouache Landscape Painting, U.S., C.1890
Located in Chatham, ON
JOHN R. WATTS (Unknown/Unidentified Artist) - Folk art watercolor and gouache landscape painting on paper - unframed - twice signed and dated lower right (one with applied paper stam...
Category
Late 19th Century American Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paint, Paper
Peter Arvidson Post Modern Modernist American Painter 'the Lovers" 1993, Oil
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original oil on canvas painting by listed Contemporary artist Peter Arvidson.
The thick imposto and color choices create a whimsical but striking ...
Category
1990s American Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Paint
Folk Art Tropical Painting on Canvas
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Charming acrylic painting on canvas of a group of colorful figures in a tropical setting executed in a naive style. Signed Osnel in the lower right and presented in the original wood...
Category
20th Century Caribbean Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paint
Antique Folk Art Watercolor Painting Children with Cat Instruments Framed
Located in Dayton, OH
Antique folk art style watercolor painting of a pair of children with instruments and a cat walking down a road lined with a white fence.
Measures: 9.375” x 1” x 8” / Sans Frame -...
Category
Early 20th Century Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paint
1950s German Oil Painting on Wood in an Old Gilded Frame by Josef Hofbauer
Located in Berlin, DE
This beautiful 1950s German Oil Painting on Wood in an old gilded Frame by Josef Hofbauer.
A unique piece which is a great eye-catcher for your anti...
Category
1950s German Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Hardwood, Fruitwood, Paint
Pair of Paintings of Boy and Girl
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Charming pair of oil paintings on canvas of a boy and a girl, one with a doll and one with watermelon. Executed in a naive style once seen hard to forget. Signed Manuel Velazquez and...
Category
Mid-20th Century Mexican Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paint
Bernard Watercolor Columbian Woman Carries Fruit Basket Folk Art Ornated Frame
Located in Miami, FL
Vintage Bernard Watercolor Framed behind Glass Columbian Young Woman carries a Fruit Basket on her Head.
Signed on Bernard, Copyright.
Wood Frame is whitewashed and ornate.
In vi...
Category
Late 20th Century Colombian Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Glass, Wood, Paper
Oil Painting on Canvas of a Boy and Dalmatian
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Here we present an intriguing oil painting on canvas of a boy with his dog and drum. Painted in a primitive naive style paying homage to early American portraiture. Presented in a wo...
Category
20th Century American Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paint
Naive Ethiopian Painting, Traffic in Addis Ababa, 1970s
Located in Budapest, HU
Naive Ethiopian painting, Traffic in Addis Ababa, 1970s.
with Ge'ez language inscriptions.
Category
1970s Ethiopian Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Folk Art Maine Rocky Coast Seascape, by D. A. Fisher, circa 1900
Located in Nantucket, MA
Antique Folk Art Maine rocky coast seascape, by D. A. Fisher (1867 - 1940), circa 1900, an oil on board seascape with gentle combers breaking on rocks on the foreground, with two sloops sailing in the background, signed lower right. The reverse retaining the label for Frost & Adams Academy Boards, Artists' Tube Colors, etc. , dealers in fine art materials in Boston from 1869 to 1921. There is also a label from The Thomas Co, Picture Framing, Washington D.C.
D.A. Fisher lived in Portland Maine and was a prolific painter of primarily marine landscapes, with subjects focused primarily in southern Maine, but also Massachusetts and New Hampshire. While his work is quite similar and sympathetic with "The Brushians," a group of about 16 artist from Portland that painted on outings around Casco Bay...
Category
Late 19th Century American Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Other
Naive Ethiopian Painting Hospital Scene, 1970s
Located in Budapest, HU
Naive Ethiopian Painting Hospital scene, 1970s
with Ge'ez language inscriptions.
Category
1970s Ethiopian Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Haitian Painting on Canvas of a Still life by Gabriel Alix
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Standout vintage Haitian acrylic painting on canvas of a still life with fruit, executed with a spirited naive flair by noted artist Gabriel Alix. Present...
Category
Mid-20th Century Haitian Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Cane, Acrylic, Wood
Deep Design Nine Little Art Histories by Libby Lumpkin Art Book
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Deep Design: Nine Little Art Histories by Libby Lumpkin.
January 1, 1995
In nine ambitious essays of uncommon erudition, art historian Libby Lumpkin constructs quirky condensed his...
Category
20th Century American Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paper
19th C. Mexican Retablo, C.1880
Located in San Francisco, CA
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...
Category
19th Century Mexican Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Tin
Folk Art paintings for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique folk art paintings for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage paintings created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include folk art, wall decorations and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with canvas, fabric and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Folk Art paintings made in a specific country, there are North America, and United States pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original paintings, popular names associated with this style include Purvis Young, Alejandro Rangel Hidalgo, M J Myers, and A. Tamme. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for paintings differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $2,380 and tops out at $2,600 while the average work can sell for $2,490.
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