Vintage Hand Carved Brazilian Ex-Voto Folk Art Portrait Sculpture on Stand

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Vintage Hand Carved Brazilian Ex-Voto Folk Art Portrait Sculpture on Stand. Hand carved in blond wood. Sits on a black … Read more Vintage Hand Carved Brazilian Ex-Voto Folk Art Portrait Sculpture on Stand. Hand carved in blond wood. Sits on a black wood stand. In good condition with wear consistent with age. A 3” scratch on the left side of the neck. Splits in the wood were most likely present when carved.

Size: 13.5 x 8.25 x 8.25 in


From an excerpt by Marion Oettinger, Jr. who wrote about Brazilian milagres in his 1992 book, The Folk Art of Latin America: Visiones del Pueblo:

In northeastern Brazil, ex-votos, called milagres in Portuguese, can be found at hundreds of important shrines where pilgrims bring them in fulfillment of vows. Each shows the particular affliction that prompted the pilgrimage - a wounded hand, recovery from breast surgery, a twisted ankle. Although this community is visited by pilgrims throughout the year, during the October week in which the patron saint is celebrated, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims make the long trek to Canindé, many dressed in the rough brown garb of pilgrims. Tens of thousands of ex-votos are offered, most similar to those shown here, others taking the form of before/after photos of burn victims, children injured in automobile accidents, and people shot during domestic squabbles. Politicians offer campaign posters as testaments to Sao Francisco's help in the race for local offices.

Sao Francisco das Chagas, like most other important shrines in Brazil, has a Casa dos Milagres, House of Miracles, where milagres are displayed. Those which are very special in some way are gleaned for the church's small museum on the other side of town. Most are eventually destroyed to make room for new offerings. See less