Cuzco school carved figurine - “Mary breastfeeding baby Jesus”

The second half of an estate came up for auction recently and
there were a few more Cuzco school items for sale. Unfortunately
I was busy during the day and had to leave some online bids to do
the work so missed out on most of them but scored one for AU$35
that I think is one of the most interesting. Basically it is a wooden box
with a figurine of Mary breastfeeding Jesus done in what I think is soapstone
and with carved soapstone fringes around it. The right door has been broken
and restored at some stage and that may have put off the bidders. I had no idea
that this breastfeeding business was a popular religious theme which shows
how religiously ignorant I am. There's a name for these boxes that open to reveal
a religious item but my brain can't think of it at the moment. It has a sticker
on the back that translates into

National institute of culture - Peru
Does not belong to the cultural heritage of the nation
2006

So its sale appears to have been given permission by the Peruvian government

in 2006.

Its size is 18cm high, 13.8 cm wide, 6.4cm deep and weighs 0.74Kg and it is
quite fragile as bits have already fallen off. I might have some restoration to do.
Any guesses as to how old???

Cheers

Stephen

 

UMmm .. I am speechless. Joy.

 

It is a retablo, a little home altar. It is not Cuzco School, but Peruvian folk art from Ayacucho.
We used to have several at home, mostly with nativity scenes, shepherds in Peruvian costumes, etc. This is a modest one, most are 'densely populated'.
I doubt the figurine is soapstone, retablo figures are made in molds and then handpainted. Details like the lines between fingers and the decorative swirls are pressed into the material before it sets.
They still make these retablos today, in the same style. And they have started to age them for the tourist trade, like the one below, which the seller honestly states is brandnew:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Archangel-G...597354?hash=item544720fdea:g:lnMAAOSwX61ZCpAT

The label looks impressive, but is unnecessary, and I don't know if the Instituto Nacional de Cultura Peru issues these labels. The institute is part of the education department and their job is to promote Peruvian culture. If they do issue labels for export, I doubt if they even look at later retablos. Peru is very strict when it comes to real antiques.
I have seen many retablos, including antique ones, but never in this state. This is the usual state for an early 20th century Ayacucho retablo:


That doesn't mean yours isn't genuine. I'd say it has either had an unusually hard life, or has been aged. The price you paid is fine, so no problems there.
Here are some retablos on ebay, including some wild and 'densely populated' ones:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...Xretablo+peru.TRS0&_nkw=retablo+peru&_sacat=0

 

Thanks for that AJ. Any ideas what kind of material they are molded out of and how to test for it? I tried a hot soldering iron on it and got no marks or smells at all. Also I googled the Instituto Nacional de Cultura Peru and and found that they do seem to have a very strong say on what belongs to Peru in terms of artifacts leaving the country although that may not mean the sticker is real.
Cheers
Stephen

 

Please don't use a hot soldering iron or any other invasive method on art. It can do some serious damage and it breaks my heart.
Retablos are usually family produced. Different families use different materials, often their own mixtures after some trial and error. I have seen plain clay and bread dough, for instance. The latter is ok until the creepy crawlies discover it. I spent a lot of time lacquering some of my mother's retablo figurines.
Here is the website of Nicario Jimenez, a well-known retablo maker who now lives and works in Florida, US. He uses 'a doughy mixture of boiled potato and gypsum
powder':
http://www.retablosnicario.com/Artist2Frame.htm

 

LOL! Much as I appreciate the idea of retables, the actuality does not charm. Yes, even the ones in museums. In yours, Miscstuff, Mary Looks as if she is thinking, "Tis kid is almost three; enough already!"

 

That's exactly what I first though too. Still - different strokes for different folks.
Cheers
Stephen