Jose Joaquin Esquivel, The Virgin Mary, 1787, Oil on Copper
PRICED IN MEXICAN PESOS.. this has been sold .. Jose Joaquin Esquivel, The Virgen Mary, 1787, Oil on Copper, Jose Joaquin Esquivel , a Spanish Painter was active between 1751-1800 in Mexico. This museum quality work of Spanish Colonial painting has been in the same family since 1787. The provenance will be given to the buyer. It is signed (Esquivel Fecit Mecici a 1787 ) and dated, lower left (we used a color filter to make it stand out). Framed it measures 68 cm x 55 cm. (27" tall and 22" wide)
The frame is from the period and amazingly appropriate for the work.
This appears to represent the Immaculate Conception of Mary. Here is Wikipedia's take on that:
The Immaculate Conception[Notes 1] is a dogma of the Catholic Church which states that Mary, mother of Jesus has been free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It was first raised in the Middle Ages, but proved controversial; it was revived in the 19th century and was adopted as Church dogma when Pope Pius IX promulgated Ineffabilis Deus in 1854. This followed Ubi primum, an 1849 encyclical wherein Pius had asked the bishops for their opinions on the matter, resulting in overwhelming support from the Church's hierarchy.
This 18th C. painting is 'patrimony' of Mexico and CANNOT be taken out of the country, sorry foreign buyers, you can buy it and enjoy it here in your Mexican home BUT it would be a felony to export it..
The paint is stable, being painted on copper but it is extremely soiled.. no one in the family ever wanted to risk damaging it by cleaning nor did they want it taken from their home. Being on copper makes the cleaning process much easier.
There is a wrinkle in the copper in the upper right corner from some old damage it suffered.
This is being sold to help cover expenses for a child with cancer. The descendant of the original family, from which is has been passed down, generation on generation, has generously offered it to be sold for the benefit of a young child with a brain tumor.
An appointment can be made to physically see the painting, we are not keeping it in the bazaar for safety reasons. Serious inquiries only, please don't bother the family of the young girl just to get a chance to see something like this.. PLEASE.