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Art of the Americas to World War I
Course: Art of the Americas to World War I > Unit 4
Lesson 2: Viceroyalty of New Spain- An introduction to New Spain
- Hispaniola’s early colonial art, an introduction
- Prints and Printmakers in Colonial New Spain
- The Bug That Had the World Seeing Red
- The Medici collect the Americas
- Virgin of Guadalupe
- Virgin of Guadalupe
- Corn pith sculptures
- Defensive saints and angels in the Spanish Americas
- Elite secular art in New Spain
- Classical Architecture in Viceregal Mexico
- Hearst Chalice
- Puebla de los Ángeles and the classical architectural tradition
- La Casa del Deán in Puebla
- Mission churches as theaters of conversion in New Spain
- St. Michael the Archangel in Huejotzingo
- The convento of Acolman
- Murals from New Spain, San Agustín de Acolman
- Atrial Cross, convento San Agustín de Acolman, mid-16th century
- Atrial Cross at Acolman
- The Codex Huexotzinco
- Miguel González, The Virgin of Guadalupe
- Frontispiece of the Codex Mendoza
- Images of Africans in the Codex Telleriano Remensis and Codex Azcatitlan
- The Convento of San Nicolás de Tolentino, Actopan, Hidalgo
- Bernardino de Sahagún and collaborators, Florentine Codex
- Remembering the Toxcatl Massacre: The Beginning of the End of Aztec Supremacy
- Featherworks: The Mass of St. Gregory
- A Renaissance miniature in wood and feathers
- A shimmering saint, St. John in featherwork
- “Burning of the Idols,” in Diego Muñoz Camargo’s Description of the City and Province of Tlaxcala
- Map of Cholula, from the relaciones geográficas
- Engravings in Diego de Valadés’s Rhetorica Christiana
- The manuscripts of Luis de Carvajal
- Testerian Catechism, The Egerton Codex
- Baltasar de Echave Ibía, The Hermits
- Mission Church, San Esteban del Rey, Acoma Pueblo
- Sebastián López de Arteaga, Marriage of the Virgin
- Cristóbal de Villalpando, View of the Plaza Mayor of Mexico City
- Talavera poblana
- Biombo with the Conquest of Mexico and View of Mexico City
- Screen with the Siege of Belgrade and Hunting Scene (Brooklyn Biombo)
- Screen with the Siege of Belgrade and Hunting Scene (or Brooklyn Biombo)
- The Virgin of the Macana and the Pueblo Revolution of 1680
- Miguel de Herrera, Portrait of a Lady
- José Campeche, the portraitist of 18th-century Puerto Rico
- José Campeche y Jordán, Portrait of Governor Ramón de Castro
- José Campeche, Exvoto de la Sagrada Familia
- Juan Patricio Morlete Ruiz, Christ Consoled by Angels
- Mission San Antonio de Valero & the Alamo
- Nativity group, from Guatemala
- Jerónimo de Balbás, Altar of the Kings (Altar de los Reyes)
- Miguel Cabrera, Virgin of the Apocalypse
- Cabrera, Portrait of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
- Casta paintings: constructing identity in Spanish colonial America
- Spaniard and Indian Produce a Mestizo, attributed to Juan Rodriguez
- Church of Santa Prisca and San Sebastian, Taxco, Mexico
- Crowned nun portraits, an introduction
- Crowned Nun Portrait of Sor María de Guadalupe
- Escudos de monjas, or nuns’ badges, in New Spain
- Christ Crucified, a Hispano-Philippine ivory
- Saintly violence? Santiago in the Americas
- What does the music of heaven sound like?— St Cecilia in New Spain
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Miguel de Herrera, Portrait of a Lady
Miguel de Herrera, Portrait of a Lady, c. 1782, oil on canvas, 125 x 101 cm (Museo Franz Mayer, Mexico City). A conversation with Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank and Dr. Steven Zucker at the Museo Franz Mayer, Mexico City. Created by Smarthistory.
Video transcript
(mellow music) - [Narrator 1] We're in
the Franz Mayer Museum in Mexico City and we're looking at a late 18th century
portrait of a woman. We don't know the identity of this woman but we know she was wealthy. - [Narrator 2] As is very typical of female portrait in
18th century, New Spain, she's about three quarter length. Her body position towards us. She's looking out at us, and what's on display here
is her elaborate clothing and jewelry. - [Narrator 1] She's got this wild hairdo, which is reminiscent of the French court in the 18th century. And out of it are fabulous plumes. I see black and white and green and red. - [Narrator 2] Ostrich feathers
are a common decoration in Europe. Also, this is part of
court fashions earlier in the 18th century. And so she's been keeping
with what had been in vogue in this French style because at this time, the Spanish crown is
Frenchifies the Bourbon dynasty. - [Narrator 1] And so the
adopting of the manners of the French court would've
been tremendously important to the newly wealthy in Mexico City. But this is also clearly a portrait that is inspired by the Spanish tradition. If we look for instance, at the monochrome of warm background, these browns we see in her hair, it is reminiscent of the court portrait that we would expect to see
in Spain in the 18th century. - [Narrator 2] Earlier portraits from the, even the 16th and 17th century, are used as models for portraits
as they develop over time. Let's talk more about what she's wearing because in her hair, besides
these fantastic plumes, she has pins showing
things like crescent moon an eagle, flowers that have
been fixed into her hair and they're silver with
different gemstones, maybe some type of diamond. And then she's wearing fabulous choker and chandelier earrings
and bracelets and rings. - [Narrator 1] And all
of that is a reminder of the wealth in Mexico, of the mining operations
that brought out this silver and these gemstones. So in a sense, what we're
seeing is the bounty but the person who
commissioned this portrait, whoever that was, would've been interested in her as a subject,
displaying her wealth. - [Narrator 2] And you can clearly see that in the costume too. She's wearing this elaborate white dress with red and blue ribbons that have been woven into lace elements and she's got these wonderful sleeves. - [Narrator 1] The lace
is just spectacular. We can feel the stiffness from the way in which it's constructed that lifts off her body
and reveals her skin but it's some distance, so that there really is a
depth that's created here. - [Narrator 2] She's holding
a fan in her right hand, a symbol of court. And when closed, it was
the sign of a chaste, usually married woman. And you can really see the
artist's hand at work here, his skill in depicting these sleeves because you get the impression of how delicate it would've
actually been here. You can see through to
her skin underneath. And so we do get this wonderful impression of how gorgeous this dress
would've been when on display. - [Narrator 1] It's
interesting also to note that she wears a pocket watch, and it's a small watch
which would've meant that it was expensive. So it is a sign of her modernity. - [Narrator 2] The watch
would've also been a sign of her wealth. In addition to lace, her
dress is made of silk. And we can see it has these delicate roses and other floral elements with blue bands. - [Narrator 1] But notice
that we've spent all of our time talking about her
hair, her ornament, her dress, and we haven't spoken about her face. And I think that's telling. Her face is in the center of the canvas. It's present. She's looking directly out at us. But in a sense, the display of her wealth
is what's most important. Although this is also clearly a likeness, though her likeness is idealized. - [Narrator 2] We also have
the relationship to Asia with the lace sleeves and
perhaps even some of the silk. We're really getting the sense of the global economy with
New Spain at its center. - [Narrator 1] So all
of these subtle signals representing her social
status, her chasteness, the scope of the Spanish Empire, all of this is represented
in this marvelous, although anonymous portrait. (mellow music)