PERUVIAN FOLK ART HAND MADE RETABLO DIORAMA BOX DISPLAY FIGURINES

Description

This estate sale find is a colorful example of a Peruvian folk art Retablo (Retablo is described below).  It appears to be a hat shop which is crowded with a variety of characters.
The exterior of the wooden box is brightly hand painted. The double doors swing open on thick cloth hinges. Inside, displayed on the walls and table, are many plaster hats painted black & white.  The entire interior floor space is crowded with colorfully painted plaster figures, some have musical instruments.
“Retablos are a sophisticated Andean folk art in the form of portable boxes which depict religious, historical, or everyday events that are important to the Indigenous people of the highlands of Peru and Bolivia. The Spanish word retablo comes from the Latin retro-tabulum (behind the table or altar), which was later shortened to retabulum. This is a reference to the fact that the first retablos were placed on or behind the altars of Catholic churches in Spain and Latin America. They were three-dimensional statues or images inside a decorated frame. Retablo artists use simple wood tools and a plaster made with potato starch, to bring colorful, hand-shaped figurines to life. Full scenes are arranged inside painted wooden boxes with hinged doors and usually one or more shelves displaying religious and every day life scenes.”
This Retablo is 12 inches wide with doors open, 6" wide with doors closed, 5 1/2 in he's high, and 2 inches deep.
Thanks for looking.