This is a beautiful retablo, but I’m having a hard time placing its origin. The paints appear to be water based and the wood is likely pine. There is a candle burn mark at the base on the left half. All of these points are indicative of New Mexican retablos coming out of the first […]
Here’s a beautifully executed retablo on wood by Jose Benito Ortega of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Written on the back: This old Spanish painting was brought from the Old Church in Zia, N.M. Church built in 1683
This is a beautiful and rare New Mexican retablo by Antonio Molleno. The topic shows Nuestra Senora de la Dolores, or Our Lady of Sorrows. The sword enters her left side where the heart is. Her hands cup the area the sword enters. Her face is plain in expression, surrounded by her cloak and the […]
This is one of the most beautiful New Mexico retablos with its carity and the power of her face. A halo surrounds her head. She is looking down and to the left, a calm and steadied looking face, the sword held on her left side. Her hands are clutched at her heart level, and these […]
This New Mexican retablo by Jose Rafael Aragon shows San Antonio with the Christ Child. He holds a staff with a fancy top (floral?). The Christ Child seems to hold a similar but much smaller staff. They are against a cream yellow background, with colorful curtains pulled back at the upper corners. The board is […]
It’s rare to find a retablo done by the AJ Santero. Here we likely have Joseph holding the Christ Child. This is a bright and colorful retablo, with clean and complete faces of both Joseph and the Christ Child. They are both against a plain, cream painted background. Joseph is wearing beautiful blue, banded robe […]
This is a lovely retablo showing Saint Joseph holding the Christ child. The flowering staff represents his appointment as the father. The treatment of the eyes, nose, and hands are all characteristic of Jose Aragon’s work. The exaggerated and elongated rosette at the top is particularly nice. The figures are against a plain field of […]
