Located in Studio City, CA
A beautiful 19th century Spanish Colonial Mexican Folk Art ex-voto retablo lámina painting featuring Saint Rita De Cascia. Santa Rita is almost always depicted as she is here, with a trickle of blood and a thorn deeply embedded in her forehead. According to legend, in the year 1441, during a sermon on the Crown of Thorns, Santa Rita prayed so intently that a thorn detached itself from her crucifix and lodged itself in her forehead. For the next fifteen years, she bore this external sign of stigmatization and union with Christ. It was said her wound became so disturbing to view, that she spent the latter part of her life in isolation and prayer. At her canonization ceremony in the year 1900, Santa Rita de Cascia was bestowed the title of Patroness of Impossible Causes. In Mexico, Santa Rita is widely venerated as the Patroness Saint of mothers, abused wives, and heartbroken women. In this work, she is flanked by two small male figures representing her two beloved sons (notice the fine attention to the paintings of their faces and their glowing rosy red cheeks). She holds a large crucifix in one hand and a flagella whip, symbolizing her practice of mortifying the flesh, in her other hand.
The work is hand painted on metal (likely tin). Ex-votos and retablos are often placed above the altars in churches or family shrines as votive offerings made in the form of religious pictures...
Category
19th Century Folk Art Antique Mexican Paintings