In the collection of Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia — check current display status with the museum.
FROM THE BARNES FOUNDATION’S CATALOG
Painted in New Mexico, this small religious scene, or retablo, was meant for private devotion in a chapel or home. Retablos typically depict saints, angels, or the Virgin Mary. The New Mexican painters who specialized in these subjects were called santeros . To develop their iconographies, santeros looked to a variety of printed materials, including woodcuts, pamphlets, and illustrated Bibles. Saint James, one of the twelve apostles, is shown here riding a horse and brandishing a sword—a reference to his appearance at the mythical Battle of Clavijo, where he was said to have helped a Christian army defeat the Moors.
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Antonio Molleno — Saint Acacius (San Acacio)
José Benito Ortega — Archangel Saint Raphael (San Raphael)
José Raphael Aragon — Saint Michael (San Miguel)
José Raphael Aragon — Saint Jerome (San Geronimo)
José Benito Ortega — Saint Barbara (Santa Barbara)
Untitled
Antonio Molleno — Saint Blasius
Unidentified artist
Monju Riding Lion with Attendants
Daoist Immortal on a Qilin and Two Attendants
San Geronimo: santo de retablo
Pedro Fresquis — Nuestra Señora de los Lagos
