Rare 1863 Mexican Narrative Ex-Voto Retablo, Santo Niño De Atocha, Puebla, Folk Art

Details

Description

An exceptional 19th-century Mexican narrative ex-voto, dated September 8, 1863, from Huejotzingo, Puebla. Painted on tin and mounted to weathered … Read more An exceptional 19th-century Mexican narrative ex-voto, dated September 8, 1863, from Huejotzingo, Puebla. Painted on tin and mounted to weathered wooden boards, the retablo depicts a kneeling man in a sparsely furnished interior, praying beneath two heavenly apparitions: Nuestra Señora de la Soledad (Our Lady of Solitude), recognizable by her dark mantle, and the Santo Niño de Atocha, carrying his pilgrim's staff and basket. Traditionally associated with travelers, captives, and those in danger, the Holy Child is particularly meaningful in the context of this painting's narrative.

The handwritten Spanish inscription recounts the ordeal of a man identified as Crecencio Juárez, who was apprehended at his home by enemies, threatened with gunfire, and subsequently taken prisoner. According to the inscription, he was brought before a military tribunal and eventually released when no crime was found. He commissioned this ex-voto in thanksgiving for his deliverance. The painting belongs to the deeply personal Mexican ex-voto tradition, in which individuals recorded extraordinary experiences and attributed their survival or recovery to divine intervention.

The date is especially noteworthy. On May 5, 1862, Mexican forces defeated the French army at the Battle of Puebla, the historic victory commemorated today as Cinco de Mayo. French forces returned the following year, besieging and capturing Puebla in May 1863, during the Second French Intervention in Mexico. This retablo, dated just months after the city's fall, offers a remarkable glimpse into the lives and devotional practices of people living through that turbulent period. Its detailed personal narrative, historical setting, and surviving original inscription give the work particular documentary interest.

Details
Period: 1860s, dated September 8, 1863
Origin: Huejotzingo, Puebla, Mexico, as inscribed
Style: Mexican Folk Art, Religious Art, Spanish Colonial Tradition
Materials: Painted metal, wood, iron nails
Subject: Nuestra Señora de la Soledad and Santo Niño de Atocha
Dimensions: Approximately 10" W × 7" H
Restoration: No restoration known See less