Latin America, Spanish Colonial, Mexico, ca. 19th century CE. A beautiful painted tin retablo of Saint Helena (Santa Elena), the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great who converted the Roman Empire, shown holding a wooden cross surmounted by a crown of thorns in one hand and the nails from the cross in the other - all of which references her role as finder of the "True Cross" on which Jesus was crucified. Standing, the saint is exotically dressed to suggest a Roman empress and wearing a crown symbolizing that she was mother of the Emperor. Though Saint Helena had no particular following in Mexico, she was seen as a mediator between the baptized newly born and God. Size: 9.5" W x 13.3" H (24.1 cm x 33.8 cm)

Provenance: private Oglesby, Illinois, USA collection, acquired in the 1990s from various Western US auction galleries

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#184313

Some light bending to corners and minor nicks to peripheries of tin, but otherwise intact and excellent with good remaining pigments and rich patina to areas.