I’m heading out to Santa Fe next week on some family business, and I have to admit, something I saw during my last visit 3 years ago popped into my mind recently: retablos. I was at an antiques and home furnishings store in Santa Fe in the fall of 2022, and remember happening upon these small religious paintings on tin, as you can see a pair of them above. There was something about the paint handling, the surface quality (I actually like how the rust imposes itself on the image), and the fact that these appeared to be legitimate antiques that made them very appealing. I don’t recall exactly what the price was for these, but I vaguely remember it being a little more than what I wanted to spend at the time. But over the past three years, I honestly have to say these retablos have popped up in my memory numerous times, with a tinge of regret that I didn’t buy one (or two, or three).
What’s a little history or background info on retablos, you may ask. The literal translation for “retablo” – from the Latin “retro-tabula” – means “behind the altar.” I see another definition as simply “alterpiece,” and in Latin America, it commonly refers to smaller, devotional paintings on tin, wood, or copper depicting saints for home altars. They’re a hybrid of indigenous artistry, centuries of Catholic iconography, and Spanish culture. They can be considered a genre of folk art, and represent the traditional religious beliefs in 17th, 18th, and 19th century Mexican culture. As far as New Mexico, from what I can gather, the oldest documented New Mexican retablos date to the 1780s.
Here’s another pair that I saw on that 2022 trip:
I’m going to go back to the same store on my visit next week and see if they still have any retablos in stock. I’m not expecting to find any of these still around, but I’m hoping to find something of interest that’s not too outrageously expensive.