BM500 Triple Nicho Box

Hand painted Day of the Dead nicho box with an image of Catrina and Milagros. The overall measurement of the tripartite box is 4 1/4” x 8”.

 A nicho box, or simply ‘nicho’, is a three-dimensional or recessed display box, much in the spirit of a shadow box, used as a portable shrine to an important figure or loved one.  They originated as an adaptation of the Roman Catholic ‘retablo’, which is a painting of a saint on wood or tin.  The difference is that while retablos are flat, nichos are in the shape of boxes and often feature hinged doors, creating an accessible stage-like setting for a significant image and trinkets.