Saints & Martyrs

Retablos and Ex-Votos

Retablos folk paintings were produced from the eighteenth century to the second decade of the twentieth century. The retablo takes as its subject Christ, the Virgin Mary, or one of the saints, with the most common subjects being the Virgen de Guadalupe, the Madre Dolorosa (Sorrowful Mother), Nuestra Senora de Pecadors (Our Lady, Refuge of Sinners), and the Santo Nino de Atocha (Holy Christ Child of Atocha). Intended as votive offerings and placed in devotional contexts in homes, retablos were usually commissioned and painted by retablo artisans, most of whom remain anonymous. Retablos paintings were painted on tin, copper, zinc, or wood.

Like retablos, ex voto paintings also include images of the saints, Christ, and Mary. These charming works depict scenes from everyday life in which a holy personage has interceded on behalf of an individual. Common themes include scenes of accidents, illness, and natural disasters. Usually a short text at the bottom of the painting relates the specifics of the event and the date and name of the person offering the thanks.

Unlike a retablo, an ex voto, Latin for after the vow, is hung on a church or chapel wall as a public display of gratitude. Ex-votos also differ from retablos in that generally they were painted by the individual giving thanks for the miracle. Thus, the individual character of each work reflects a wide range of artistic ability and personal religious experience.

The majority of our retablo inventory is Latin American, though we occasionally obtain the rare Spanish or Italian work on copper. Our ex-voto inventory includes Mexican works on tin and lovely and rare Italian eighteenth and nineteenth century works on wood panel.

Saints & Martyrs · Religious Antiques ·