** A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this lot will benefit The Fowler Museum at UCLA **

Latin America, Mexico, ca. early to mid 20th century CE. A hand-painted Mexican retablo on heavy gauge tin depicting a jail house labeled "CARCEL" (jail) on the left, and a couple praying and presenting candles to Cristo Negro (Black Christ) on the right, all set within a landscape at either sunrise or sunset given the red hues on the horizon. The worship of Cristo Negro has its origins in a town called Esquipulas, Guatemala in 1594 CE when an image was created by the Portuguese sculptor Quirio Cantano upon the request of the Guatemalan bishop. The darker complexion chosen by the early clergy was intentional, as it was thought that the indigenous population would then identify with the sufferings and sacrifice of Christ. As members of the lowest class of their society in their own land, they embraced the Cristo Negro and identified with his realistic agony and martyrdom. Actual dark brown Christ figures naturally darkened further to a blacker hue due to exposure to smoke and incense. And so, although the initial brown was intended to represent Indian skin color, later depictions of such Christs by the native population were jet black. In time miracles were ascribed to the so-called Black Christ or Cristo Negro. The Cristo Negro in this retablo is characteristically painted black and depicted in the classic crucified pose with his head cocked toward the right, a white mantle tied around waist and hips, and extended hands and feet. Although the text is no longer legible, one can imagine that this couple is praying to Cristo Negro for a miracle on behalf of their incarcerated friend(s) or family member(s). Size: 11" W x 8.25" H (27.9 cm x 21 cm)

Provenance: ex-Morgan Collection, Santa Monica, CA.

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#115837

Surface has scratches and text is no longer legible. Losses and bending to corners as shown.