Mexican Lacquer at the Victoria and Albert Museum: Analysis of Three Bateas
Abstract
:1. Introduction
1.1. The V&A Bateas
1.2. Mexican Lacquer Tradition
1.3. Materials and Techniques of Mexican Lacquer
1.4. Research Aims
2. Materials and Methods
3. Results
3.1. Black
3.2. White
3.3. Orange
3.4. Red and Maroon
3.5. Yellow
3.6. Blue and Green
4. Discussion
4.1. On the Materials and Manufacture of the V&A Bateas
4.2. Conservation Issues
- Craquelure can be seen on most surfaces (Figure 2);
- Chipped paint exposes the dolomite foundation layer in the painted areas, as well as the reddish foundation layer of the black background areas (Figure 14);
- Some of the areas of loss have been filled with colour to minimise the visual disruption to the damaged surface (Figure 16);
- UV light reveals areas where a non-original natural resin varnish is still present (Figure 2);
- Pitting can be seen in many of the coloured areas, especially the areas that have been decorated with a lead-containing pigment. Some of the pitted areas show that a dotted discolouration is present, but the pictorial layer is still adhered (Figure 17a); others show partial (Figure 17b) or full detachment (Figure 17c) where the coloured layer has been lost. The appearance of these areas suggests that metal soaps may have formed over time; these are known to have a disruptive effect on the appearance and integrity of certain types of pigmented layers [32,33,34,35,36].
5. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Appendix A
1 | Details about the three bateas can be found online on the following web pages (accessed on 23 June 2024):
|
2 | V&A Museum Registered file MA/1/R741/1 (Reg. Pa. 37495/1871). |
3 | A Furniture Collection findings list records that 158-1866 was displayed in gallery 74 in January 1964. |
4 | Exhibition label from Spain and the Hispanic World—Treasures from the Hispanic Society Museum & Library, at the Royal Academy of Arts, London 21 January–10 April 2023. |
References
- Humphrey, N. Fortuitous and fragmentary: Collecting spanish furniture, woodwork and leather at the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1850–1950. In Collecting Spain: Coleccionismo de artes decorativas españolas en Gran Bretaña y España = Colecting Spanish Decorative Arts in Britain and Spain; Polifemo: Madrid, Spain, 2022. [Google Scholar]
- Salvador, M.V. La deuda del South Kensington Museum con Juan Facundo Riaño. In Collecting Spain: Coleccionismo de artes decorativas españolas en Gran Bretaña y España = Colecting Spanish Decorative Arts in Britain and Spain; Polifemo: Madrid, Spain, 2022. [Google Scholar]
- Robinson, J.C. Catalogue of the Special Loan Exhibition of Spanish and Portuguese Ornamental Art: South Kensington Museum; Chapman & Hall: London, UK, 1881. [Google Scholar]
- Burgio, L.; Humphrey, N.; Melchar, D.; Melita, L.N.; Risdonne, V. Mopa Mopa and Barniz de Pasto at the Victoria and Albert Museum: Recent Developments. Heritage 2024, 7, 4592–4616. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Lustrous Surfaces. Available online: https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/lustrous-surfaces (accessed on 20 June 2024).
- Carrillo, S.P. La Laca Mexicana: Desarrollo de un oficio artesanal en el Virreinato de la Nueva España durante el siglo XVIII; Ministerio de Cultura, Dirección General de Cooperación Cultural: Madrid, Spain, 1990. [Google Scholar]
- Lechuga, R.; Medina, I.; Carrilo, S.P.; Tembleque, C.R.; Wallace, M.T.; Marentes, C.B. Lacas Mexicanas—Colección Uso y Estilo, 2nd ed.; Museo Franz Meyer and Artes de Mexico: Mexico City, Mexico, 2003. [Google Scholar]
- Codding, M. The Lacquer Art of Latin America. In Made in the Americas. The New World Discovers Asia; Carr, D., Bailey, G.A., Eds.; Museum of Fine Arts: Boston, MA, USA, 2015; pp. 74–89. [Google Scholar]
- Kasl, R. Witnessing Ingenuity: Lacquerware from Michoacán for the Vicereine of New Spain. Metrop. Mus. J. 2022, 57, 40–55. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Von Humboldt, A. Sobre el barniz de Pasto. In Alexander von Humboldt en Colombia: Extractos de sus Diarios Preparados y Presentados por la Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales y la Academia de Ciencias de la República Democrática Alemana; Publicismo y Ediciones: Bogotá, Colombia, 1982; pp. 188–189. [Google Scholar]
- García-Bucio, M.A.; Casanova-González, E.; Mitrani, A.; Ruvalcaba-Sil, J.L.; Maynez-Rojas, M.A.; Rangel-Chávez, I. Non-destructive and non-invasive methodology for the in situ identification of Mexican yellow lake pigments. Microchem. J. 2022, 183, 107948. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Ocaña-Ruiz, S.I. Lacquer and Imitation Lacquer Folding Screens in New Spain. Heritage 2023, 6, 4282–4299. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Kawamura, Y.; García Barrios, A. Influence of Japanese Namban Lacquer in New Spain, Focusing on Enconchado Furniture. Heritage 2024, 7, 1472–1495. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Romero, R.; Illán, A.; Bondía, C. Three Studies of Luxury Mexican Lacquer Objects from the 16th to the 19th Centuries, Analysis of Materials and Pictorial Techniques. Heritage 2023, 6, 3590–3605. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Dismukes, A.H.; Lazarte, J.L.; Centeno, S.A. New material connections in a mother-of-pearl Enconchado from the Viceroyalty of New Spain. Herit. Sci. 2024, 12, 83. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Ocaña Ruiz, S.I. The Impact of European Lacquer on Eighteenth-Century Colonial Mexico. Stud. Conserv. 2019, 64 (Suppl. 1), S53–S61. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Codding, M. Methods for Dating the First Spanish American Lacquerwares: Seventeenth-Century Barniz de Pasto and Peribán Lacquer. Heritage 2024, 7, 4323–4353. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- de Meave, J.A. Memoria sobre la pintura del pueblo de Olinalán, de la jurisdicción de Tlapan. In Gacetas de Literatura de México por D. José Antonio Alzate Ramírez; HardPress Publishing: Madrid, Spain, 1831. [Google Scholar]
- Iturbide, T.C. Maque (Laquer). Artes México 1972, 153, 92–101. [Google Scholar]
- Acosta Ruiz, M.A. El Maque de Michoacán: Su Historia y Producción en la Actualidad; Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo: Morelia, Mexico, 2013. [Google Scholar]
- Jenkins, K.D. Lacquer. In Handbook of Middle American Indians, Volume 6: Social Anthropology; University of Texas Press: Austin, TX, USA, 1967; pp. 125–137. [Google Scholar]
- Haude, M.E. Identification of colorants on maps from the early colonial period of New Spain (Mexico). J. Am. Inst. Conserv. 1998, 37, 240–270. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Miliani, C.; Domenici, D.; Clementi, C.; Presciutti, F.; Rosi, F.; Buti, D.; Romani, A.; Laurencich Minelli, L.; Sgamellotti, A. Colouring materials of pre-Columbian codices: Non-invasive in situ spectroscopic analysis of the Codex Cospi. J. Archaeol. Sci. 2012, 39, 672–679. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Noeller, R.; Danielewski, A.; Giel, R.; Overgaauwb, E.; Hahn, O. Material analysis of Aztec codices in Berlin: Assignment of small fragments compiled as cutouts on one plate in Humboldt’s “Atlas pittoresque du voyage”. STAR Sci. Technol. Archaeol. Res. 2019, 5, 113–126. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Zetina, S.; Ruvalcaba, J.L.; Lopez Cáceres, M.; Falcón, T.; Hernández, E.; González, C.; Arroyo, E. Non destructive in situ study of Mexican codices: Methodology and first results of materials analysis for the Colombino and Azoyu codices. In Proceedings of the 37th International Symposium on Archaeometry, Siena, Italy, 13–16 May 2008. [Google Scholar]
- Ruvalcaba Sil, J.L.; Ramírez Miranda, D.; Aguilar Melo, V.; Picazo, F. SANDRA: A portable XRF system for the study of Mexican cultural heritage. X-Ray Spectrom. 2010, 39, 338–345. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- García-Bucio, M.A.; Casanova-González, E.; Ruvalcaba-Sil, J.L.; Arroyo-Lemus, E.; Mitrani-Viggiano, A. Spectroscopic characterization of sixteenth century panel painting references using Raman, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and helium-Raman system for “in situ” analysis of Ibero-American Colonial paintings. Philos. Trans. Math. Phys. Eng. Sci. 2016, 374, 20160051. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Cuadriello, J. Ojos, Alas y Patas de Mosca: Visualidad Tecnología y Materialidad de El Martirio de san Ponciano, de Baltasar de Echave Orio; Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Instituto de Investigaciones Estéticas: Mexico City, Mexico, 2018. [Google Scholar]
- Cabello, M.M.Z. La Paleta del Pintor Novohispano; Universidad Nacional Autónoma De México: Mexico City, Mexico, 2013. [Google Scholar]
- Casanova-González, E.; Maynez-Rojas, M.A.; Mitrani, A.; Rangel-Chávez, I.; García-Bucio, M.A.; Ruvalcaba-Sil, J.L.; Muñoz-Alcócer, K. An imaging and spectroscopic methodology for in situ analysis of ceiling and wall decorations in Colonial missions in Northern Mexico from XVII to XVIII centuries. Herit. Sci. 2020, 8, 91. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- BS EN 16085:2012; Conservation of Cultural property. Methodology for Sampling from Materials of Cultural Property. General Rules. BSI: London, UK, 2012.
- Keune, K.; Boon, J.J. Analytical imaging studies of cross-sections of paintings affected by lead soap aggregate formation. Stud. Conserv. 2007, 52, 161–176. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Lead Soaps. Available online: https://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-met/conservation-and-scientific-research/projects/lead-soaps (accessed on 16 April 2024).
- Casadio, F.; Keune, K.; Noble, P.; Van Loon, A.; Hendriks, E.; Centeno, S.A.; Osmond, G. Metal Soaps in Art; Springer: Cham, Switzerland, 2019. [Google Scholar]
- Centeno, S.A.; Mahon, D. The chemistry of aging in oil paintings: Metal soaps and visual changes. Metrop. Mus. Art Bull. 2009, 67, 12–19. [Google Scholar]
- Higgitt, C.; Spring, M.; Saunders, D. Pigment-medium interactions in oil paint films containing red lead or lead-tin yellow. Natl. Gallery Tech. Bull. 2003, 24, 75–95. [Google Scholar]
Disclaimer/Publisher’s Note: The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s). MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content. |
© 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Share and Cite
Risdonne, V.; Geminiani, L.; Humphrey, N.; Melchar, D.; Burgio, L. Mexican Lacquer at the Victoria and Albert Museum: Analysis of Three Bateas. Heritage 2024, 7, 4647-4665. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage7090219
Risdonne V, Geminiani L, Humphrey N, Melchar D, Burgio L. Mexican Lacquer at the Victoria and Albert Museum: Analysis of Three Bateas. Heritage. 2024; 7(9):4647-4665. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage7090219
Chicago/Turabian StyleRisdonne, Valentina, Ludovico Geminiani, Nick Humphrey, Dana Melchar, and Lucia Burgio. 2024. "Mexican Lacquer at the Victoria and Albert Museum: Analysis of Three Bateas" Heritage 7, no. 9: 4647-4665. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage7090219