1937 Mexican Ex Voto Virgin of Guadalupe Painting on Paper, Cracked Peeling, Doesn't Fit Tin Frame
$159.00
This very distressed 1937 religious folk art offering is charming but also extremely fragile and, in my opinion, best displayed flat and under glass. It is an ex voto offering of thanks to the Virgen of Guadalupe, rendered on paper that was then adhered to a thin pressed lumber board. The paper and board have cracked and peeled. The painting was created not by a fine artist but rather a folk artist, sometimes the very person offering thanks for an answered prayer. Her name appears to be Cresenciana Bahena, which you can see in the very last line to the left, written in tidier handwriting. To summarize what the prayer says, Cresenciana talks of being with her three children and her sister- and mother-in-law and befalling a terrible disgrace. At that instant and with complete faith, she invoked the blessed Virgin of Guadalupe, who came to that sacred spot and saved Cresenciana. The piece is dated 12 of deciembre 1937. I see Cresenciana as a woman who was denigrated by her in-laws according to the cultural mores of class and roles that women in that era were expected to take on. It would not have been unheard of for Cresenciana, in those days in Mexico or New Mexico Spanish culture, to serve somewhat as a maid in her husband's home, since they have taken her in as his wife. Remember, many families would have lived together or even in close-by homes. That was actually a not uncommon role for the woman marrying into a family, especially if that family had more wealth. This prayer also speaks to the role of shame/disgrace in the Catholic faith, and in such a deeply religious close-knit and isolated culture as it would have been at that time, it also is a reminder of how religious beliefs could be, in essence, societal expectations. And looking back at a piece like this, made 87 years ago, it also shows to us, as so many old treasures do, how cultures and societies are ever-evolving. Now, on to describing the piece, the tin frame was handmade for the painting on wood, possibly by the painter or perhaps by a male relative, as men often did tinwork. The board was nailed with tiny and short tacks into the tin. So, several things happened that created and now constitute the distressed condition. The wood was likely not gesso'd or pre-sealed. The piece likely got damp and given that the words and painting--although faded and discolored--is not smeared the way it would have had it been wet. Likely the wood shrank and now no longer fits the frame and is no longer tacked in at all corners. The paper, somewhat thick, was glued to the wood and is peeling away at corners, edges, and in some spots in the middle. All of this makes the wood piece unstable for hanging, as the remaining tack areas could break or pull away. The tin frame had some applied tin elements, and some may be missing, plus that frame is distressed also. The condition of the piece has been factored into the price.
The outer dimensions of the tin are about 13-3/4" wide by about 12-3/4" tall. This will be shipped carefully.
A most interesting insight into a not-too-recent past.
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