Methods for Dating the First Spanish American Lacquerwares: Seventeenth-Century Barniz de Pasto and Peribán Lacquer
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Barniz de Pasto, Mopa Mopa Lacquer, or Pasto Varnish: Historical Context
In this land, certain trees sprout a small ball of resin like a gum, that if not collected, opens in a few days and changes into a leaf. The Indians pick these balls, and making the resin in various colors, they varnish staffs, tobacco containers, flag poles, poles for canopies, and other things made of wood, because on clay or any other thing it does not stick well. They also do this type of work in Mocoa, Quito, and other parts of Peru [14].
2.2. Barniz de Pasto: Techniques, Stylistic Influences, and Dating Methods
a serpent so ferocious and fearsome … as large as the biggest animal on earth, with wings like a bat, short and very thick arms with large nails … eyes polluted with fire and blood, the tongue quivering … covered with hard scales … and from this stupendous animal the Inca took the sobriquet Amaro, as such were these serpents called [23].
2.3. Pintura, Barniz, and Peribán Painting: Historical Context
Many carts and plows, are made in this town from the oaks and holm oaks; and other things from the pines, a lot of planking for houses, doors, boxes, and desks and table cabinets and tables [and] trays. Large quantities are made of everything, because there are very good and polished Indian carpenters here, and very excellent; and when completed they are given to painters for painting, of which there are in this town the most polished and curious that there are in this New Spain for this purpose; such that the desks and writing cabinets can be given and presented to any prince [27].
And in terms of wealth they exceed [Zirosto], because they have a lot of dealings and contracts, taking from the hot lands to Spanish Towns, fruits, brown sugar and honey, because they have many mules, and the things they make in their Towns that they profit from, such as paintings, and trays, inlays, agave fiber rope, are all everyday-wares in Spanish towns [28].
the Bishop [Vasco de Quiroga]; he, who with his great talent, also ordered that the natives all have their entertainments and trades, and thus there were many carpenters who made boxes, desks, writing cabinets, paintings, and other things, which were traded to other cities. There were blacksmiths, tailors, shoemakers for whose works they came for to carry away. Others made shawms, flutes, trumpets, sackbuts, to provide the others singers, others organs, others images, with paint, also painting gourds, trays, making inlays with the colors invented here.
They gave them master carpenters because they had enough wood to work with, and they learned the art so well that their writing desks became famous and their coffers received applause, because making a diphthong of what they learned from the Spanish masters with what they knew, they formed a new graft on the woods of the Castilian models, drawers of desks, boxes and writing cabinets, they added their lacquers and their paintings, and made their work unique, because at the same time the Spanish design was dressed in Indian clothing [29].
The painting of Periban up to today not imitated by any other nation, had its origin in this province, and apart from being so showy, the varnish is so permanent that it stubbornly defends itself against time, because colors having the quality of fading with age, this painting bets, persists, with aging endurance, the color becoming one with the wood, perhaps to further establish its permanence; it is the technique of this work, opening the work with the burin, and embedding the colors in the holes, supplying the variety of shades of those colors, without any wood showing
For the most part they do not equal the Europeans as painters, however those who have learned in Mexico, can take up a palette in the workshops of Apeles. They do not take great pains in the work; because they know they will not be paid for it, and so they act as if they will not receive the pay they deserve; they themselves have their paints and oils with which they stain their trays, exquisite gourds, called Peribán; which, not content to be sought after in all of New Spain, for their curiosity, they went on to be celebrated in Spain.
2.4. Peribán Lacquerware: Techniques, Stylistic Influences, and Chronology
The population [of Peribán] is made up of 100 families of Spaniards, Mestizos and Mulattoes, and 66 of Tarascan Indians who make many gourd cups because it abounds with little gourds, and they paint them beautifully in various colors, forming the main source of their commerce because of the esteem they have everywhere [34].
3. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
1. | Casket, Pasto, Colombia, ca. 1625. Barniz de Pasto on wood, with silver fittings. 19.2 cm × 27.2 cm × 13.7 cm. New York, The Hispanic Society of America, LS 2067. Provenance: Simois Gestión de Arte, Madrid, 2002, acquired by The Hispanic Society of America, 2002. |
2. | Gourd vase, Pasto, Colombia, before 1644. Barniz de Pasto on a calabash gourd (totuma), H 12 cm. LS2400. |
3. | The crown of feathers seen on the snailperson most likely represents the earliest recorded image of a Kamëntsá shaman’s crown of feathers, an image of profound significance for the cultural history of the Kamëntsá. |
4. | Table cabinet, Pasto, Colombia, ca. 1630–1643. Barniz de Pasto on Spanish cedar (Cedrela odorata), with silver fittings. 20 cm × 39.7 cm × 30.7 cm. New York, The Hispanic Society of America, LS2446. Provenance: Martín de Tolosa, Sacristan, Popayán Cathedral, Popayán, Colombia, ca. 1630–1643; Butterfield’s, San Francisco CA, Selected Furniture and Works of Art, 23 March 1983, Sale 3306G, lot 1945; Richard Yeakel Antiques, Laguna Beach CA, 1983; Klaus Schilling, Irvine CA, 1983–1987; Sotheby’s, European Works of Art, New York, 24 November 1987, lot 62; Richard Worthen Galleries, Albuquerque NM, 1991; Kurt Schilling, Newport Beach and Morro Bay CA—Santa Fe NM, 1991–2019; acquired by The Hispanic Society of America, 2019. |
5. | Tabletop, Pasto, Colombia, ca. 1630–1643. Barniz de Pasto on Spanish cedar (Cedrela odorata). 43.7 cm × 66 cm × 1.8 cm. New York, The Hispanic Society of America, LS2447. Provenance: Martín de Tolosa, Sacristan, Popayán Cathedral, Popayán, Colombia, ca. 1630–1643; Butterfield’s, San Francisco CA, Selected Furniture and Works of Art, 23 March 1983, Sale 3306G, lot 1945; Richard Yeakel Antiques, Laguna Beach CA, 1992; Klaus Schilling, Newport Beach and Morro Bay CA—Santa Fe NM, 1992–2019; acquired by The Hispanic Society of America, 2019. |
6. | The public collections include The Hispanic Society of America, NY (LS2067, LS 2446); Blanton Museum of Art, Austin, TX (2018.351) https://blanton.emuseum.com/objects/22542/coffer?ctx=c4a45705ff07ca4bd87f7a75d5d25b0b7586f0dc&idx=3 (accessed on 6 July 2024); Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA (M.2008.34); Victoria and Albert Museum, London (W.5-2015, W.7-2018); and Museo de America, Madrid (inv. no. 06775). |
7. | The motto is taken from Matthew 26:41 of the Latin Vulgate Bible, being the words spoken by Jesus to his disciples Peter, James and John in the Garden of Gethsemane. Vigilate et orate also is a famous motet for Palm Sunday by the Spanish Renaissance composer of sacred music Cristóbal de Morales (ca. 1500–1553). |
8. | Table cabinet, Pasto, Colombia, ca. 1684. Barniz de Pasto on Spanish cedar (Cedrela odorata), with brass fittings. 19 cm × 36 cm × 30.5 cm. New York, The Hispanic Society of America, New York, LS2000. Provenance: Gabriel Bernaldo de Quirós y Mazo de la Vega, First Marquis of Monreal, ca. 1685; Alcalá Subastas, Madrid, 10–11 May 2000, lot 454; Caylus, Madrid, 2000; acquired by The Hispanic Society of America, 2001. |
9. | Agraz (Vaccinium meridionale Swartz) is a shrub native to Colombia, growing up to seven meters tall, found at altitudes from 2400 to 4000 meters, which produces a dark blue or purple fruit that grows in grape-like clusters. Agraz is from the family Ericaciae, which includes blueberries and cranberries. |
10. | Batea (tray), Peribán, Michoacán, Mexico, ca. 1625. Mexican lacquer on wood, 8 cm × 56.5 cm. New York, The Hispanic Society of America, LS1808. Provenance: Arabella D. Huntington (1850–1924), New York, until 1924; estate of Arabella D. Huntington, New York, 1924–1926; Martin Cohen, New York, 1998; acquired by The Hispanic Society of America, 1998. |
11. | Batea (tray), Peribán, Michoacán, ca. 1650. Mexican lacquer on wood, 10.2 cm × 56.7 cm, New York, The Hispanic Society of America, LS1978. Provenance: Catalina K. Meyer, New York, to 1997; Estate of Catalina K. Meyer, New York, 1997–1999, Christie’s East, The Latin American Sale, 23 November 1999, lot 30; acquired by The Hispanic Society of America, 1999. |
12. | Another Peribán batea of similar date with conventionalized floral motifs and stylized birds, attributed to Uruapan, is in the collection of the Museo de América, Madrid (inv. no. 06925). |
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Codding, M. Methods for Dating the First Spanish American Lacquerwares: Seventeenth-Century Barniz de Pasto and Peribán Lacquer. Heritage 2024, 7, 4323-4353. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage7080204
Codding M. Methods for Dating the First Spanish American Lacquerwares: Seventeenth-Century Barniz de Pasto and Peribán Lacquer. Heritage. 2024; 7(8):4323-4353. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage7080204
Chicago/Turabian StyleCodding, Mitchell. 2024. "Methods for Dating the First Spanish American Lacquerwares: Seventeenth-Century Barniz de Pasto and Peribán Lacquer" Heritage 7, no. 8: 4323-4353. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage7080204