New Mexico
1830s
Antonio Molleno
Height: 9 3/4 in / 24.8 cm; Width: 7 in / 17.8 cm
Provenance: Private collection, Tucson, Arizona
A New Mexican devotional retablo of Our Lady of Refuge by Antonio Molleno, one of the most distinctive santeros working in northern New Mexico during the early 19th century. The Virgin appears crowned and holding the Christ Child, following the devotional image of Nuestra Señora del Refugio, or Our Lady of Refuge. This Marian subject was especially meaningful in Spanish Colonial and New Mexican Catholic practice, where the Virgin was invoked as a source of mercy, protection, and spiritual shelter.
Molleno, sometimes called the “Chile Painter,” is known for his highly recognizable devotional style and for the use of bold ornamental forms, including the chile-like motifs associated with his name. His work belongs to the early New Mexican santero tradition, when locally made religious images served homes, chapels, and village churches across the region. The use of yellow in this example is especially notable, as the color is less commonly seen in early New Mexican devotional painting and gives the image a striking visual presence.
Works by Molleno occupy an important place in the history of New Mexican religious art. His retablos are admired for their directness, simplified forms, and spiritual intensity rather than academic naturalism. This small panel preserves the intimate devotional power of the early santero tradition, made for prayer, protection, and daily religious life.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
New Mexico
1830s
Antonio Molleno
Height: 9 3/4 in / 24.8 cm; Width: 7 in / 17.8 cm
Provenance: Private collection, Tucson, Arizona
A New Mexican devotional retablo of Our Lady of Refuge by Antonio Molleno, one of the most distinctive santeros working in northern New Mexico during the early 19th century. The Virgin appears crowned and holding the Christ Child, following the devotional image of Nuestra Señora del Refugio, or Our Lady of Refuge. This Marian subject was especially meaningful in Spanish Colonial and New Mexican Catholic practice, where the Virgin was invoked as a source of mercy, protection, and spiritual shelter.
Molleno, sometimes called the “Chile Painter,” is known for his highly recognizable devotional style and for the use of bold ornamental forms, including the chile-like motifs associated with his name. His work belongs to the early New Mexican santero tradition, when locally made religious images served homes, chapels, and village churches across the region. The use of yellow in this example is especially notable, as the color is less commonly seen in early New Mexican devotional painting and gives the image a striking visual presence.
Works by Molleno occupy an important place in the history of New Mexican religious art. His retablos are admired for their directness, simplified forms, and spiritual intensity rather than academic naturalism. This small panel preserves the intimate devotional power of the early santero tradition, made for prayer, protection, and daily religious life.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
