Dorothy Preston has made ancient religion new. The widow of an Air Force general, she has traveled the world visiting the surviving manifestations of faith, awe and fear that have prompted man to art through the ages-from the pagan Greek and Roman religions of antiquity to the Christianity of medieval times to the primitive practices of Australian aborigines and the stark, dark mysteries of Easter Island.

Her latest collection, now on exhibit at Washington`s Franz Bader Gallery, is entitled ''Saints and Fables.'' The subjects are figures from the Bible and memorable saints, rendered in vivid colors and confined within bright gold frames within frames.

They are at once primitive and ornate. They could have been painted on chape...