Ex-Voto: Giving Thanks for the Recovery of a Daughter, Retablo, dated 1895

Ex-Voto: Giving Thanks for the Recovery of a Daughter. Oil on tin, dated 1895. Anonymous Mexican artist with a contemporary custom frame handcrafted by artisan Michael Blatnik.

The text reads: "Pare mayor gloria de Dios y aumento de su culto, bajo la advocación de la Preciosa Sangre de Christo, ofresco este retablo como un testimonio de gratitud por haber dado la salud a mi hija Maria Amalia Gusman Hernandez. —Jose Miguel Gusman, Abril de 1895"

Translation from Spanish: "For the greater glory of God and the increase of His worship under the patronage of the Precious Blood of Christ, I offer this retablo as a testimony of gratitude for having granted health to my daughter Maria Amalia Gusman Hernandez. -Jose Miguel Gusman, April 1895."

What is an ex-Voto?
When a person survived a life-threatening situation or personal calamity, they would subsequently hire an artist to depict their story of diving intervention. They were created to offer thanks to the saint or deity who healed them and were considered an object given as a fulfilment of a vow. Although ex-votos originated as simple images of saints, eventually they were embellished with a short narrative describing the miracle that transpired. Once completed, these accounts would hang in the church as public professions of gratitude or faith. After a year, the vow was considered fulfilled and the ex-voto would be destroyed or sold.