Peruvian Nativity Retablo

Peruvian Nativity Retablo

Jeronimo Lozano

Salt Lake City, Utah

Polychromed wood, potato/plaster mix

2011

Jeronimo E. Lozano, an artist born in Peru and celebrated for his traditional Peruvian retablos, passed away in 2021. The National Endowment for the Arts released a memorial statement about Lozano, who was awarded a 2008 NEA National Heritage Fellowship, the nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. In 2018 Glencairn Museum was honored to host the artist in the Great Hall for several days, where he demonstrated the art of making Peruvian Nativity retablos. Retablos (literally “behind the altar”) are thought to have originated in the large altarpieces in Catholic churches. The tradition of making them was brought from Spain to the new Spanish Empire in America. In this Nativity retablo, the Star of Bethlehem shines down on the Christ Child, who is surrounded by an ox, donkey, and sheep. Mary, Joseph, Jesus and the rest of the figures in the scene wear brightly colored traditional clothing as the miraculous birth is celebrated with traditional dances. The scene is framed by native prickly pear cacti, which produce an edible fruit.