AW945: Spanish Colonial Religious Offering Oil on Wood Panel Ex Voto Painting Late 18th Century

Spanish Colonial Religious Offering Oil on Wood Panel Painting Late 18th Century. Meaning of Ex Voto is an offering given as fulfillment of a vow. Signed with initials lower right. Unframed.

Dimensions: 12 1/2" x 17 3/4"

Comments: Ex-votos are offerings given to a saint or divinity in fulfillment of a vow or in gratitude for a favor granted. This painting is a scene with several figures in a landscape. A saint like figure is perched on a cloud, holding a staff, while below him a group of peasants are engaged in a conflict trying to cross over on a wooden bridge. A nonparticipant holds a sign proclaiming "EX VOTO" on the shore. The landscape includes hills, trees and a stream of water with a cloudy sky above. The painting is rendered in a folk art style with somewhat naive and stylized figures and a limited color palette painted on an aged wood panel indicating this painting dates to the 18th Century.