A decorative structure or screen placed behind an altar, often featuring painted or carved religious imagery. Retables can be simple panels or elaborate architectural compositions that frame and enhance the altar area.
From Spanish 'retablo,' derived from Latin 'retro' (behind) and 'tabula' (table/board), literally meaning 'behind the table.' The term spread through Spanish colonial art and religious architecture.
Retables in Spanish and Latin American churches became incredible fusion art forms - indigenous artists incorporated local symbols, colors, and techniques into Christian imagery, creating unique cultural hybrids that told the story of colonial encounter through religious art!
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