Latin America, Mexico, ca. 19th century CE. A fine antique Mexican retablo painted on heavy gauge tin depicting the Holy Mother as La Virgen de la Luz (the Virgin of Light) in a carefully worked tin nicho. The Virgin Mary stands atop a billowing cloud, dressed in a long white robe with a blue mantle. With her left hand, she rescues a child from Hell, represented by the grinning devil visage below. In her right hand, she holds the Christ Child, who is picking flaming hearts (souls) from a basket held by an angel. Above the Virgin's head are two angels, holding a crown. The nicho features an elaborately cut and punched pediment with a central abstract design that conjures imagery of a rising sun over a hill, flanked by column-like finials, and surrounded by geometric and leaf-inspired attachments. The frame below is meticulously modeled with bead, wave, fret, and hemispheric motifs and a florette at each corner. Size: 14" L x 10" W (35.6 cm x 25.4 cm), 28.75" L x 20" W (73 cm x 50.8 cm) in nicho

This religious composition is modeled on the image in the Cathedral of Leon in Guanajuato. A famous legend of its origin tells of it being painted by an artist under the direction of a nun who resided in Palermo, Italy in the 1700s. Giovanni Antonio Genovese, a Jesuit missionary, had asked the nun to assist him in creating a worthy image of the Virgin that would "move the hearts of men." After many prayers and visions, the nun purportedly instructed an artist to paint an image that the Virgin herself posed for. For the remainder of his missionary life, Father Genovese would carry this painting and convert so many people throughout Sicily. According to scholar Gloria Fraser Giffords, "La Madre Santisima de la Luz is not only revered as the patroness of Leon and reliever of all ills, but is especially remembered for her role in the protection of the city against plagues, storms, and invasions during the various wars and revolutions. In modern times she has become the patron of electricians." (Gloria Fraser Giffords, "Mexican Folk Retablos," Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1974, p. 56.)

Provenance: private Moore collection, Denver, Colorado USA, acquired thirty years ago

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#122042

Retablo shows a perforations at peripheries from previous attachment, expected surface wear with minor pigment loss and areas of oxidation. Nicho shows expected oxidation/tarnish, bending, and detachment on left side.