Date Thesis Awarded

5-2020

Access Type

Honors Thesis -- Access Restricted On-Campus Only

Degree Name

Bachelors of Arts (BA)

Department

Art and Art History

Advisor

Anne Williams

Committee Members

Betsy Konefal

Fabrício Prado

Cristina Stancioiu

Abstract

Ex-votos are small devotional paintings, typically painted on tin using oil paint. The format of these works follows a recognizable formula, organized into three registers: an inscription, a central register dedicated to the earthly realm, and an uppermost register where the image of a holy figure is depicted. Ex-votos are commissioned in gratitude for divine intervention, or, less commonly, as a petition for miraculous intercession. This thesis examines Mexican ex-votos from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and considers how their production, display, and content may undermine political dictates.

Recommended Citation

Ros, Samantha, "The Mexican Ex-Voto Tradition as a Potential Subversion of Authority" (2020). Undergraduate Honors Theses. William & Mary. Paper 1519.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/1519