Latin America, Mexico, ca. late 19th century CE. A charming Mexican retablo of St. Joseph and the Christ Child, finely painted on heavy gauge tin and set in a hand-crafted wooden nicho. The retablo presents a crowned St. Joseph (San Jose) dressed in flowing green and gold vestments, who tenderly cradles the infant Jesus, who is dressed in flowing red draperies. St. Joseph also holds a blooming staff in his right hand, while the Christ Child holds a Cross, representing his Christian dominion, in his left hand. A beautiful example presenting both holy figures who are framed by a halo of golden stars, with a drawn red curtain at the upper left and a stand covered with a red cloth and carrying a Gospel at the lower right indicating a Baroque influence on the artist. Size of retablo: 10" L x 7" W (25.4 cm x 17.8 cm) Size of nicho: 2" L x 9" W x 14.7" H (5.1 cm x 22.9 cm x 37.3 cm)

The cult of Joseph originated during the time of Luther when the Catholic Church was seeking out new heroes to meet the needs of the Counter Reformation. Prior to this time, Joseph was somewhat ignored. The Carmelite Order, under the direction of St. Theresa, rejuvenated the image of St. Joseph. Instead of being portrayed as an elderly man who watched over Mary, he grew to be depicted as a virile man in the prime of his life, full of youth and strength, yet portrayed as a gentle man of tenderness as we see in this example.

Provenance: ex-Wow Auctions, San Quentin, California, USA

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#163201

Expected age wear with some waviness to the tin sheet, scuffs, and abrasions, but the image is still vivid. Wooden nicho presents age wear as well with chips to peripheries, some loss to blue pigment embellishing it, and inactive insect holes. Interestingly, a print of another saint adorns the interior face of the nicho, beneath the retablo of St. Joseph.