Arched Nativity Retablo

A wooden retablo with hinged arched doors, painted on the outside with bold folk flowers in pink, red, yellow and blue on a natural wood ground. Open the doors and the interior holds a densely packed nativity scene: hand-modelled clay figures in deep colour, ringed with cacti, flowers and a star-burst, set against a red-painted ground. The relief flowers on the inner door panels are built up in layers and aged back. Made in Peru, where retablo-making is a long-standing folk tradition. Stands on a shelf or mantelpiece; closes flat for storage.Each retablo is made and painted by hand, so colours and figure arrangement vary between pieces.Wood and hand-modelled clay Peru H 19cm × W 14cm × D 5.5cm