Latin America, Mexico, ca. early 20th century CE. An antique Mexican ex-voto painting depicting a woman named Maria Felipa Aguirre de Garcia and her son, both sick in bed, at center, the hospital they will visit for treatment at left, and the woman's husband Jose Merce Garcia kneeling in prayer and presenting a candle to a statue of Christ at right. The text generally translates, "After Maria Felipa Aguirre de Garcia from the town of Rincon de Tamayo (a town in Celaya, Guanajuato) and her dear son Francisco Garcia came down with a fever that grew so high, her dear husband Jose Merce Garcia rushed them to the hospital of the town of Salamanca; so that his wife and her son would recover, he made a visit to his holiness's sanctuary, and after a few days of appealing to God, they were completely cured, by the miracle of his holy majesty; and as a testimony of this miracle, this retablo is presented with infinite gratitude for the sovereign treatment - for such rare prodigy (meaning beyond the usual course of nature)." A fine example of this Mexican folk art form! Size: ~10" x 7" (25.4 x 17.8 cm)

Ex-votos are narrative 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 placed adjacent to an image 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. Oftentimes, however, this commentary is replete with regional dialect and difficult to translate. Nevertheless, if you are familiar with the Spanish language, you will probably get the gyst of these anecdotal paintings.

Provenance: Ex-Historia Antiques, James Caswell, Santa Monica, CA

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#110009

Lower left corner bent. Expected surface wear and areas of oxidation. Perforations at peripheries and center. Text legible.