Mexico
Late 19th–early 20th century
Retablo
Height: 9 3/4 in / 24.8 cm; Width: 13 in / 33 cm
Provenance: Private collection, Santa Fe, NM
A Mexican devotional retablo depicting San Isidro Labrador, the patron saint of farmers and agricultural labor. San Isidro is traditionally associated with miraculous help in the fields, especially the story of angels assisting with his plowing while he remained devoted to prayer. The presence of an archangel at the left side of the composition reinforces this theme of divine assistance and protection.
This retablo is unusually strong in execution, with a confident composition and a more refined handling than many popular devotional paintings of its type. The subject would have carried particular meaning in rural Catholic communities, where San Isidro was invoked for rain, fertile land, good harvests, and the protection of working people. The image brings together labor, devotion, and heavenly aid in a direct and memorable form.
The painting reflects the enduring place of San Isidro in Mexican religious life, where saints were not distant figures but active intercessors in daily survival. Its scale, visual clarity, and accomplished hand make it a particularly compelling example of late 19th- to early 20th-century Mexican retablo painting.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Mexico
Late 19th–early 20th century
Retablo
Height: 9 3/4 in / 24.8 cm; Width: 13 in / 33 cm
Provenance: Private collection, Santa Fe, NM
A Mexican devotional retablo depicting San Isidro Labrador, the patron saint of farmers and agricultural labor. San Isidro is traditionally associated with miraculous help in the fields, especially the story of angels assisting with his plowing while he remained devoted to prayer. The presence of an archangel at the left side of the composition reinforces this theme of divine assistance and protection.
This retablo is unusually strong in execution, with a confident composition and a more refined handling than many popular devotional paintings of its type. The subject would have carried particular meaning in rural Catholic communities, where San Isidro was invoked for rain, fertile land, good harvests, and the protection of working people. The image brings together labor, devotion, and heavenly aid in a direct and memorable form.
The painting reflects the enduring place of San Isidro in Mexican religious life, where saints were not distant figures but active intercessors in daily survival. Its scale, visual clarity, and accomplished hand make it a particularly compelling example of late 19th- to early 20th-century Mexican retablo painting.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
