Mexico Anonymous, Nuestra Señora de Refugio de los Pecadores, c.1875, oil on metal, 14 x 9 5/8 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of
Art, purchased with funds provided by Stephen and Mary Anne Wood in memory of Alice Quinn, 2012.
Originally an icon of Orthodox Catholicism, Our Lady of Refuge was adopted by Catholic Jesuits in the 18th century, who sent copies to the Americas, where it became an extremely popular image. In this heavenly vision, she appears atop clouds wearing a red dress and a blue mantle. The crown on her head symbolizes her majesty as the mother of Christ, who stands on her lap wearing a crown of his own. Our Lady of Refuge represents tenderness and mercy, as traditionally she was believed to grant forgiveness to sinners.