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Description
A vintage Mexican milagro cross, hand-cut in wood with trefoil arms, painted oxblood red with a gilded raised rim, and covered in more than fifty cast milagros nailed on by hand. At its centre is a flaming Sacred Heart painted on tin, set in a punched tin frame. It came to me through the dealer who supplies my ex-voto retablos, and dates to c. 1970s–1990s.
The work
Milagros (“miracles”) are small votive charms offered in thanks or petition. An eye, a leg or a hand stands for the healing prayed for, an animal for a family’s livestock, a car or truck for a safe journey, and a kneeling figure for the faithful who asked. This cross gathers a whole village of them: eyes, legs, arms and praying hands, kneeling and standing figures, a chalice, roosters, cats and other animals, two cars and a pickup truck.
The Sacred Heart at the centre is crowned with thorns and wrapped in orange flame on a blue ground. It is painted by the same unsigned hand behind the mid-century ex-voto retablos in my shop, an anonymous painter from rural Jalisco who never signed his work.
Measurements
12" H x 8.5" W x 1" D (30.5 x 21.6 x 2.5 cm)
Condition
The gilded rim is rubbed through on the high edges, with fine crackle in the gold, and the red ground shows light wear. There are short grain checks in the wood at the top and bottom arms. The tin frame around the heart has a soft, even oxidation, and some milagros carry a darker patina than others. All milagros are nailed in place. The back is painted and clean, with a small scuff on the left arm and a drilled hole at the top for hanging.
Appraisal
Gallery replacement value: $275. This is what it would cost to replace this cross through a gallery, for insurance and estate purposes.
One photograph shows the cross staged in a setting, provided only to help you picture it on display. The cross is unaltered and untouched, and photographs of the actual piece are included. Only the cross is included.
Shipping and import fees
Shipping is free. Depending on your country, it travels by express or by standard international service, always with tracking, which you will receive upon purchase. Import duty and tax are paid by the buyer. Tariff code 4420.19. If your delivery country differs from your account country, message me before purchasing.
Destination | Import duty | Import tax | Estimated total
United States | set by customs at delivery | none collected at import | assessed at delivery
Canada | set by customs at delivery | 5% GST, or 13–15% HST by province | $7 – $22 plus any duty
United Kingdom | none on orders under £135 | 20% VAT, charged at checkout | about $30, paid at checkout
European Union | €3 per item | 17% – 27% VAT, charged at checkout | $29 – $44
Australia | none on orders under AUD 1,000 | 10% GST, charged at checkout | about $15, paid at checkout
Where anything is collected at delivery, the carrier may add a small handling fee.
Questions? You will always reach a real person, never AI.
God bless,
Ricardo Ivan Cardenas EMBA
St. Joseph’s University New York Business School Graduate
