wood art boxes

This beautiful retablo depicts a lively market stall where Andean textiles are bought and sold. In pre-Hispanic times, Inca weavings were more highly prized than gold and Peruvian textiles carry on the artistic tradition. By Julio Gallardo, the vignette shows colorful cloth hanging from ceiling and walls, shoppers, and a young artisan who puts the finishing touches on a work he has finished. The ceramic figurines are housed in a tornillo wood box, crafted and painted by hand.

An angel hovers above the manger where the newborn Christ child rests to sing a song of Christmas joy. By Erika Ulloa, this beautiful nativity scene is set in the Peruvian highlands. The artisan crafts the wooden box to house this retablo or diorama and paints it in vivid colours. The figures are carefully modeled from clay and painted by hand.

Alejandro Chávez depicts Saint Martín de Porres, a Dominican brother born in Lima in 1579. Trained in the medical arts, Martin worked in the convent infirmary but also showed great compassion to the sick outside the convent. Chávez crafts the wooden box to house this retablo, or diorama, and paints it in bright colors. The figures are carefully modeled from ceramic plaster and painted by hand.

characterised by elabourate moves with a giant pair of scissors, the traditional danza de las tijeras dance is paid homage in this stunning retablo from Peru. Erika Ulloa creates the retablo, which features a wood box with colourful floral motifs. The front doors open to reveal a scene that is delicately crafted from ceramic. Three colourful tijeras dancers perform in the front, accompanied by a band in the background.