Latin America, Mexico, ca. 1950s CE. A framed ex voto painted on board, depicting a dramatic accident involving a lively brown horse and two nephews ofa woman named Beatris Moya who wrote the inscription above. The scene includes a rearing horse tossing one boy off its back, while his brother who clearly has already fell victim to this feisty bronco lies prone on the ground. All is beneath a vision of the Holy Virgin Mary, crowned and enrobed in blue, gold, and white, standing upon a crescent moon, surrounded by a pair of angels, and floating above clouds in all her hallowed presence. To the upper write the inscription, hand painted in royal blue, translates, "I give thanks to the Virgin of San Juan for having saved my two nephews from a fall from a horse. Beatris Moya" A special example, particularly for anyone who has ever had a close encounter with an energetic stallion! Size: 11.875" W x 9.125" H (30.2 cm x 23.2 cm); framed 13.375" W x 10.625" H (34 cm x 27 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-Brunner collection

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#117462

Two perforations through upper corners of ex voto. Minor wear and discoloration to areas of painting. Wear to frame as shown.