Cross Mexico Folk-Art Ex Votos Retablo - Telephone Wire 700+ individual pieces

Description

Cross Mexico Folk-Art Ex Votos Retablo - Telephone Wire 700+ individual pieces
I want to talk to potential buyers about this item, it is made to give thanks to God and the church for saving a man and woman's life and their home when the volcano they live at the bottom of it had an eruption.   An Ex Votos, or more commonly, a Retablo, is a way of giving thanks for prayers being answered including miracles, many times they are drawings place inside of Catholic churches.  In this case this was one made with painstaking care and used in devotions of the family home.  As near as I can guess there are over 700 small pieces of telephone wire (they come in those colors) that have been cut to size, some of the smaller are less than a centimeter.  I expect the design was hand drawn on the 3-piece cross (made from the same piece of wood, one seems charred and the pieces cut one by one.
You can "read this story" from the top down or the bottom up.  I prefer the bottom up.  A man and his wife stand away from their house and he comforts her (please not the size of those wires in his hand) as they look at their home and to the church above where prayers are laid for deliverance from the volcano, and finally the volcano erupting but being held at bay by faith and prayers, it is indeed a milargo, or miracle that they survive once more with the help of God and the strength of their faith and prayers.
I'm an anthroplogist I "know this church" but can't place it, it may be between
Popocatépetl and Puebla, otherwise I am stymied as to the volcano and the town at its base.   If you know I would love to know so message me.
I purchased this some years ago from someone who had gotten it from someone. . . . so I never really had the name of the actual family or the artist whose craftsmanship and devotion is so visible in this painstaking art work that shows faith, devotion, and prayers answered.
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Condition:
The condition is excellent, it has been well-cared for all these years by the family who had it for their devotionals, living at the base of a volcano is a scary proposition without the protection of God and the church.  The wooden cross is hand made, as is the hanger, and the image is made of individual cut and glued pieces of old telephone wire.  It is 5 x 7 and 3/4 inch thick.  It weighs 3 ounces.  Wood is dry and old and cross is made of three pieces of same wood.  Some of the wood looks charred as if out of burnt building.
Look at the pictures they are part of the description, and, write me with any questions prior to bidding.
All photos are mine, if it is a stock photo, it is marked "stock photo."
Colors are described as accurately as possible --
please remember not all monitors show colors the same
, so what color I see on my monitor may not be the same as yours. One person's "mauve" may be another person's "purple."  :)
SHIPPING:
AlleyJcat is a small 2-family member company and we can’t always offer free shipping, however, with the increasing rates,
we find anything over 3 pounds seems to be cheaper with FedEx and that is an option we list.
We are located in COLORADO (ZONE 5 USPS) so within a few hundred miles of the middle of the continental United States, that helps those on the coasts and the south with lower zone rates.
WE NEVER charge a HANDLING FEE!
WE PAY INSURANCE.
If you choose FED EX or USPS, you are getting our FED EX or USPS discount, you don't see that amount, you only see your cost AFTER discount is applied.
INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING
:
We ship globally, however the shipping costs shown are to ebay’s Global Marketing Hub in Kentucky, you are also responsible for all charges beyond that, duty, shipping, etc., and pay ebay directly for those services
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WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get)
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Return Policy
:  I will certainly accept returns if the description isn't accurate, or there is damage/missing that is not described in description or seen in photos (photos are part of description, if stock photo it is marked "stock photo" all the rest are mine).  I do not refund on "buyer's remorse
."  The return policy is 30 days, seller pays return for USA locations -- there is no restocking charge.
International buyers pay return shipping.
I will consider partial refunds on a case-by-case basis
.
I have few returns and I would ask that you contact me with your concerns before starting a return.
I don't want unhappy customers, I like my 10,900+ positives and no negatives and I got that rating by treating my customers the way I would like to be treated :)  Sorry this is long but ebay requires it in description now.
ON some items there are NO returns or 14 Day Returns, so check the listing carefully.