Tin Paintings

Antique oil paint on tin, know as a retablo. The painting is of Mary, Mother of Jesus and is framed in a hand made shadow box frame.

About An original 19th century Mexican folk retablo of Saint Francis. Oil paint on tin. St. Francis of Assisi, Italian San Francesco d’Assisi was born 1181-1182 in Assisi, duchy of...

Antique retablo showing Saint Joseph with a child Jesus. Vibrantly painted in rich turquoise and burnt orange colors. Matted in cream and velvet in a v...

Early oil on tin panel painting of a woman dressed in a royal blue coat with ermine trim by artist Ira Yeager (American 1938-2022). The painting is set in a distressed gilt wood fram...

The Crucifixion, oil on tin Spanish Colonial retablo, including Mary and Saint John, in a carved wooden frame, The Crucifixion is a central p...

Beautiful depiction of N.S. Refugio de Pecadores, patron saint of Zacatecas. She appears crowned and holds the crowned Child. She wears a scarf across her right shoulder and her bl...

one of the most desirable of all of the retablos from this fascinating religious art form, this subject of this piece is called La Preciosa Sangre de Cristo, or Eucharistic Man of So...

Madonna and Child, oil on tin, 19th C, likely Mexican or Latin American and depicting the Virgin crowned and holding the Christ Child (with holes from pre...

About An original early 20th century Mexican folk retablo depecting "Our Lady of Sorrows". A dagger pierces the grieving Virgin Mary's heart referencing...

Spanish Colonial oil on tin painting. A retablo depicting St. Michael the Archangel. Colors of red, navy and green on a teal background. Painting dimensions...

1940’s mid century ceramic hand painted rooster tile by Gene Byron, framed in a tin and brass tooled dish or tray shaped frame. Measures: 6” x 1.5” x 6...

About An original 19th century Mexican folk retablo of Saint Francis. Oil paint on tin. St. Francis of Assisi, Italian San Francesco d’Assisi was born 1181-1182 in Assisi, duchy of Spoleto, Italy and died October 3, 1226. He was canonized July 16, 1228. He founded the Franciscan orders of the Friars Minor and the lay Third Order. He was also a leader of the movement of evangelical poverty in the early 13th century. His evangelical zeal, consecration to poverty, charity, and personal charisma drew thousands of followers. Francis’s devotion to the human Jesus and his desire to follow Jesus’ example reflected and reinforced important developments in medieval spirituality. Cretor Unknown. Date of manufacture c.1880. Materials and techniques Oil Paint on Tin. Condition Good. Wear consistent with age and use. Dimensions H 14 in. W 10 in. History Retablos, better known as 'laminas' in Mexico, are small oil paintings on tin, wood and sometimes copper which were used in home altars to venerate the almost infinite number of Catholic saints. The literal translation for 'retablo' is 'behind the altar.' This unique genre of art, deeply rooted in European history, was brought to Mexico with the arrival of the Spanish and then ultimately adopted by New World mestizo natives to become what is known today as the Mexican folk retablo. The retablo was an art form that flourished in post conquest Mexico and then ultimately, with the introduction of inexpensive mediums such as tin, reached its pinnacle of popularity in the last quarter of the 19th century. With some exceptions, mostly untrained artists from the provinces worked to produce and reproduce these sacred images; some subjects painted more prolifically than others. A typical "retablero" may have reproduced the same image hundreds, if not thousands of times in his or her career. These oil paintings were sold to devout believers who displayed them in home altars to honor their patron saints. There are virtually hundreds of saints, each invoked to remedy a different situation. "San Ysidro Labrador," the patron saint of farmers, is venerated for good weather...