Latin America, Mexico, 1899. Hand-painted on heavy gauge tin, an ex-voto dated to 1899 that tells the story of a man who was living on a ranch when the owner of the ranch ordered that he be arrested for no apparent reason - as told by his brother. His mother-in-law prayed to the Virgen and asked her for a miracle with this retablo. The composition includes a man and a woman - presumably the author of this ex-voto and his brother's mother-in-law - praying to the Virgin of San Juan de los Lagos. Size: 7" L x 5" W (17.8 cm x 12.7 cm)
The text below the image generally translates, "In the year 1899, my brother was living in Rancho del Refugio (shelter ranch). The master or owner of the ranch ordered that he be arrested for no reason and his mother-in-law Ms. Filipa Sanchez asked the Virgin of San Juan de los Lagos (of the Lakes) in her sacred shrine with all her heart for a miracle with this retablo."
Ex-votos are little story paintings that tell us so much about the values of Mexican peoples and their visual culture. These votive paintings were hung in a church or placed adjacent to a santo in order to celebrate and give thanks for the recovery of the donor from an illness or dangerous situation. In essence, ex-votos represent the spiritual or physical gains received by the donor. These paintings include hand painted passages that relate the details of the cure or the rescue. Typically, however, this commentary is replete with regional dialect and somewhat tricky to translate. Nevertheless, familiarity with the Spanish language allows one to understand the gist of these wonderful narrative paintings.
Provenance: private Boulder, Colorado, USA collection acquired 2020; ex-private San Francisco, California, USA collection, acquired in 1970s
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#157965
Condition
Ex-voto shows some expected bending and surface wear, but the imagery and text are still quite strong. Perforation at top center for former suspension.