Latin America, Mexico, 1935. A beautiful ex voto painted on heavy gauge tin and depicting the Virgin of Guadalupe at the upper right, three figures praying/giving thanks to her for curing Senor Morales, depicted second from the left below. The inscription translates, "In the year 1935 Don (?) Morales was in the vicinity of the volcano of La Malinche and while in a drunken state, fell in the canyon and broke his left leg; without a remedy he and his aunt appealed to the Virgin of Guadalupe, and in two days he was cured. For this we give infinite thanks and present this little retablo - San Miguel Canoa 1935." Size: 9" W x 10.125" H (22.9 cm x 25.7 cm)
Ex-votos are little story paintings indicative of healing or blessing popular in Mexican visual culture. This tradition was inspired by the Greeks and was brought to the New World by the Spaniards. These votive paintings were hung in a church or home in order to celebrate and give thanks for the recovery of an individual from an illness or dangerous situation. Hence, ex-votos represent the spiritual or physical gains received. 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 difficult to translate. Nevertheless, if one is familiar with the Spanish language, you will likely get the gist of these anecdotal paintings.
Provenance: ex-private Pennsylvania, USA collection
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#149047
Condition
Expected wear commensurate with age showing indentations, waviness, small tears to center and upper edge, and some pigment loss. Imagery and inscription are still legible, though a couple of words in the inscription are somewhat blurred as shown.