This is the second of two marvelously naive mid 20th century ex voto retablos I purchased from a seller in California, quite similar in manner such that I might guess done by the same person, but with clearly different styles of writing at the bottoms so perhaps not, or perhaps the paintings were made for the subjects, who then painted the texts. While the other was simply thanking the Virgin for her general goodness of late, this one, offered in thanks by Jose Vasconselos Tejanda in 1961, is far more specific!
Here's my best translation: blessed mother of the creator, I thank you for your wonderful presence in that tremendous accident that I suffered when I was heading to Touica and suddenly my plane began to fail without being able to control it. I was in a frenzy. I thought I was going to die. And I just implored with all my heart that you take pity on my soul. A miracle relieved me, the plane crashed but my life was saved.
I think the painting does 100% perfect justice to the drama of the story, with the wings and tail of the blue plane snapped in half with perfect zig zag lines, a cloud of smoke billowing from its nose, and flame like cacti dotting the landscape. And then our Virgin rising from the ashes in a halo of red, yellow sky behind her, with Jose and his family looking as if both signaling "help" and gratefully waving to her. Right up my alley and I think just terrific!
7 3/4" x 6 7/8", thickly painted, great rich color, and in very good condition, painted on tin, with a hole at top for hanging.
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