Peruvian Retablo “Skeletons in an Andean Bar” by Nicario Jiménez - RARE - HTF

Description

View Peruvian Retablo “Skeletons in an Andean Bar” by Nicario Jiménez - RARE - HTF with current marketplace pricing, condition, product images and item details. His one person exhibitions include the San Francisco Craft and Folk Art Museum, the Cleveland Institute of Art, the Museum of Man in San Diego, California, the North Dakota Museum of Art, and the Rhode Island School of Design. Hand-Made/Painted. Signed by the artist on the back. Size closed: 6.75”w x 7.5”h x 2.25”d Size open: 13”w x 7.5”h x 2.25”d Condition: Structurally great. But paint on the outside has seen better days, one of the doors doesn’t close all the way, but is minimal This is a traditional Peruvian retablo created by internationally renowned master artisan Nicario Jiménez Quispe. Titled “Skeletons in an Andean Bar” (or “The Bar - The Day of the Dead”), this three-dimensional narrative artwork is housed inside a vibrant, hand-painted wooden shadow box with folding doors. Unlike traditional clay or wood carvings, Jiménez crafts each miniature figurine entirely by hand using a unique, doughy paste made of boiled potatoes and gypsum powder. He sculpts every precise detail—such as the individual tiny liquor bottles and the skeleton musicians—using only a knife and a single, small wooden tool resembling an enlarged toothpick. This specific piece depicts a lively Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) scene. Skeletons gather at an Andean cantina to drink, play instruments, and gamble, serving as a humorous and soulful commentary on life, community, and the timeless ties to ancestors. Retablos are sophisticated folk art in the form of portable boxes filled with brightly colored figurines arranged into intricate narrative scenes. From the 16th to the 19th centuries, Retablos were carried through the mountains by Spanish priests as portable religious shrines for Catholic saints. Later, they were adapted by indigenous people to include their own deities and mythologies. Born in a peasant community in the high Peruvian Andes, Nicario Jimenez studied sculpture at the Centro de Capacitacion Artesanal de Huamanga and attended the Universidad Nacional San Cristobal de Huamanga in Ayacucho, Peru. His one person exhibitions include the San Francisco Craft and Folk Art Museum, the Cleveland Institute of Art, the Museum of Man in San Diego, California, the North Dakota Museum of Art, and the Rhode Island School of Design. Nicario's work has even been selected by the Smithsonian Institution and is now part of their permanent collection. Nicario captures the raw, unfiltered spirit of Andean life—where the bar is not just a place to drink, but a mirror of human nature in all its joy, pain, and persistence. Each "Skeletons in an Andean Bar" retablo created by master artisan Nicario Jiménez Quispe is unique in design. While he frequently revisits this popular Day of the Dead theme, every single retablo is a completely one-of-a-kind narrative artwork. Condition: Used. Category: Collectibles › Decorative Collectibles › Boxes, Jars & Tins. Brand: Unbranded.

Shape

Rectangle

Occasion

All Occasions

Size

Medium

Item Length

6.75 in

Suitable For

Decor

Department

Unisex Baby & Toddler, Girls, Boys, Kids, Teens

Unit Type

Unit

Care Instructions

Clean with Damp Cloth

Item Height

7.5 in

Number in Pack

1

Style

Folk Art

Features

Hand-Painted

Unit Quantity

1

Finish

Painted

Room

Any Room

Handmade

Yes

Item Width

2.25 in

Pattern

Day Of The Dead

Character

Skeleton

Color

Multicolor

Material

Wood

Subject

Floral

Brand

Unbranded

Type

Box

Packaging

Unboxed

Theme

Folk Art, Art

Original/Reproduction

Original

Time Period Manufactured

1900-1949

Closure Type

Hinged

Production Technique

Hand Painted

Character Family

Day of the Dead