Mexican Retablo Depicting the Flagellation of Christ

A tied figure at a column, two guards and a surface that has seen some weather

This Retablo depicting the flagellation of christ is from Mexico, and dates to the 19th century. It is paint & tin. Though most surviving retablos date from the mid to late nineteenth century, they are usually painted in an earlier Baroque manner, suggesting rural makers far from cities where newer styles were fashionable. A dark, rough painting of a bound, half-clothed figure slumped at a pillar with a pale loincloth. Two figures in short blue tunics stand behind him. The whole surface is speckled with white flecks and paint loss. It is 10 inches wide and 14 high.

A scene played out in grit, rust and speckle.