Nichos
Medium: Antique Guatemalan Wood Nicho, Holy Trinity Tin Retablo, and Carved Wood Crucifix Santos, 18th Century German Bible, Nepalese Paper, Waxed Linen Thread, Ethiopian Coptic Stitching
Artist Statement: In South America, it is common to see decorative boxes called “nichos” set upon tables and pedestals to display religious icons. These boxes may serve as a religious altar to mark a significant religious occasion or to honor a patron saint. This antique Guatemalan Nicho features a wood carved Christ Santos and a hand painted tin Retablo of the three faces of the Holy Trinity.
Early Christian artists had to invent a visual language that could communicate biblical concepts, such as the Holy Trinity, that were difficult to explain through art or through words. In the early Church, there were questions about how, or if, a depiction of God should or could be made in art; if so, what would the image be? Ultimately, the unified three-faced Trinity, like the one pictured in this tin Retablo, was accepted by the Roman Catholic hierarchy. Official use of this form of the Holy Trinity was ended by the Pope in the eighteenth century, but it continued in places such as the American Southwest and in South America.
24H X 20W X 10D
