Ex Voto

An ex-voto is a votive offering to a saint or divinity. It is given in fulfillment of a vow (hence the Latin term, short for ex voto suscepto, "from the vow made") or in gratitude or devotion. Ex-votos are placed in a church or chapel where the worshipper seeks grace or wishes to give thanks. The destinations of pilgrimages often include shrines decorated with ex-votos.

Ex-votos can take a wide variety of forms. They are not only intended for the helping figure, but also as a testimony to later visitors of the received help. As such they may include texts explaining a miracle attributed to the helper, or symbols such as a painted or modelled reproduction of a miraculously healed body part, or a directly related item such as a crutch given by a person formerly lame. There are places where a very old tradition of depositing ex-votos existed, such as Abydos in ancient Egypt.⁽¹⁾

Brief History

JB Emile Dropsy broke away from family tradition that seemed to make masons of all of the Dropsy's.  His father and grandfather exercised this profession. In the eighteenth century, Dropsy masons were many, of which quite a few worked for the Royal Court, and one of them, titled Master Sculptor, Stonemason, became director of the Academy of St. Luke.

What were some of these characters, parents of Emile Dropsy? Only a study of special archives, if they still exist, would make it possible to learn more about Emile Dropsy's family.  Emile abandoned the profession of his ancestors, and was apprenticed to an engraver on metal, Lemoine, based in Paris Jemmapes dock, while taking courses in drawing.   Having become a great writer, he changed trades and at the age of thirty, finished school and began boldly shaping medals under the direction of Ferdinand Levillain. As he had to live, his circumstances allowed him to sell his religious medals.  He spent many years working and making this kind of medals, trying to finish them well and make them nice, in accordance with what the buying public wanted.

During his spare time, Dropsy worked for his own pleasure. He presented works in exhibits around 1900, where the French artists honoured him third and second medals. In these works the artist said he gave the best of himself.

He returned to religious subjects, but to make true works of art, rather than souvenir medals. Nature was also a favourite theme for him. In the midst of landscapes, in domestic farms, or along the coast of Brittany, he located human beings and domestic animals for his subjects.

While possessing the means that enabled him to express himself fully and without fail, Emile Dropsy was never been tempted to shine through purely technical qualities. He was never a slave to his knowledge. This was fortunate. His works of religious inspiration retain a simplicity and ingenuity that often are not represented in the works of other artists. His landscapes show a true and rustic nature, represented in all loyalty, without artifice. His human figures are natural.

He did not profess any artistic theory or principle, but gave vent to his feelings, and cared only to be sincere. Instead of directing his emotions, he let himself be dominated by them, which is why his medals are so touching. Sometimes he felt strong emotion, then ran to the Holy Women at Calvary. How many works in the art of the medal are so emotional? "

Little known in his lifetime, the Emile Dropsy we see today is an artist of extremely attractive works. Perhaps he can be considered as the purest of religious medallist and the most sincere of landscapers.