251. [VIRGIN OF GUADALUPE]. Ntra. Sra. de Guadalupe de Megico [below border at lower right] S. L. P. ã. 1851. N.p. [Mexico], 1851. Lithograph of the Virgin of Guadalupe on cloth (raw linen?), ornate frame border with flowers. Image area including title: 18 x 12 cm. Small void at upper right in blank margin, moderately stained and with some abrasion wear, left edge slightly frayed. Professionally washed and stabilized. A rare survival, given the ephemeral nature of the item and the fragile medium.

            The avocation of Our Lady of Guadalupe of Mexico is the largest Marian devotion in the world. While highly concentrated in Latin America, it is also very extensive in non-Hispanic nations. According to tradition, the Virgin appeared to a Mexican Indian, Juan Diego, in 1531 and subsequently, to prove her appearance, implanted her image on his cloak when he presented his report to Bishop Juan de Zumárraga. Subsequently, Our Lady of Guadalupe became the patroness of nativist culture and later of Mexican nationalism. While never pronounced a dogma by the Papacy, the tradition of the apparition has not been declared illegitimate, and Juan Diego, an unclear personage, has, nonetheless, been canonized. The devotion of the Mexican Virgin of Guadalupe is manifested through virtually every aspect of Catholic life, as evidenced in the continual praises of her. (W. Michael Mathes).

            The cult of the Virgin has permeated almost all aspects of Mexico, Borderland, and Texas Catholic life, a situation that has been in place for hundreds of years. In the twentieth century, many Sociedades Guadalupanas have sprung up in Texas to promote veneration of the Virgin and perform community service. See Handbook of Texas Online: Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. ($500-1,000)

Auction 21 Abstracts