Page 8 - Guadalupe of Mexico in Spain
P. 8
Section 06. In the Asian wake. The Manila galleon
Virgin of Guadalupe
Hispano-Philippine workshop
Polychrome ivory and brass
c. 1650-1700
Madrid, Museo Arqueológico Nacional
The growth of the Guadalupan cult reached the trans-Pacific route, with New Spain acting as a
commercial and artistic hub between the Philippines and the Iberian Peninsula, as can be seen in these
three sumptuous and original works.
The technique of enconchado, or shell work, was developed in New Spain in the 17th and 18th centuries
on the basis of Japanese namban (art for export) ornamental lacquer work. It involved incrusting flakes of
mother-of-pearl in a wooden panel that was then painted with thin layers of pigment, lacquer and
varnishes to enhance the gloss of the shells. In this example, the shell flakes cover the whole figure of La
Guadalupana except for the flesh areas. The elaborate frame is adorned with grapes, flowers and
butterflies.
In the meantime, the two ivory pieces made in Asia for the market in New Spain or the Iberian Peninsula
are different in their treatment of volume, more accentuated and fluid in the case of the piece in Seville,
and flatter and more restrained in that of the work in Madrid.
