© Ramón José López
Relicario / Reliquary
San Camilo de Lelis / St. Camillus of Lellis
Silver, wood, mica, water soluble pigments
Private Collection
St. Camillus (1550-1614) founded an Order of male nurses and is patron saint of physicians.
Escudos y Relicarios / Medallions and Reliquaries
Inspired by the escudos de monjas, the large medallions worn by nuns in colonial Mexico, these pieces demonstrate López’s ability to extend and reinterpret traditional art forms in an innovative manner. By covering the retablos with mica rather than glass, López has also employed a native New Mexican material in a new format. The relicarios combine these escudos with the colonial New Mexican retablo form.
