The Hispanic Society Museum & Library

Recent Acquisitions: The album of 37 photographs taken by the French military officer, Camille Crémer, offers a striking view of Mexico during the French occupation. Under Napoleon III, the French government established the Habsburg prince Ferdinand as emperor of Mexico (r. 186467) after a military intervention that began in 1862 and ended five years later. The photographer Camille Crémer belonged to the first regiment of Zouaves, the French elite infantry corps whose distin...ctive costume appears in some of the photos. His division had participated in the Battle of Puebla of 1863, although he did not as he only joined them in the following year. They were subsequently involved in policing and securing order in territories outside the capital. They went north to Durango where the Mexican army had retreated and threatened the town. Subsequently the division participated in battle of Jijilpan where Crémer won a medal for bravery. Not surprisingly, the pictures in the album follow the Zouaves’ route from Veracruz inland, via Orizaba and Puebla to Mexico City. From there, it moves northward to Querétaro, ultimately reaching Zacatecas and Durango before coming back south to Guadalajara and Tepic. A distinguishing feature of this album is the inclusion of many places not usually found in such works. Crémer’s use of paper negatives is somewhat surprising at this date. Although French photographers had used it effectively in the 1850s, the wet collodion process had largely superseded it by the 1860s because it captured greater details. Nonetheless, the requirements of the newer technique (glass plates and a portable darkroom) may have limited its appeal for someone traveling with his regiment through hostile territory. After Crémer returned to France in 1866, he continued serving in the French army and eventually rose to the rank of general, but no further photography of his is known. Camille Crémer, Souvenirs du Mexique, Album of 37 calotypes, 186465. GRF 178767.0137

Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida, Altar of Saint Vincent Ferrer, Valencia. Oil on paper mounted on cardboard. before 1909.

From New York to Houston: Let’s take a closer look at one of the objects on view in our traveling exhibition, Glory of Spain: Treasures from the Hispanic Society Museum & Library, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston - on view through January 3, 2021. This pair of reliquary busts comes from the hand of one of the most talented sculptors in Renaissance Spain, Juan de Juni. Working with equal skill in stone, wood, and terracotta, he carved some of the most dramatic pieces of his... day. Whether in reliefs or figures carved in the round, he evoked powerful emotions through facial expressions, emphatic gestures, and cascading draperies. Almost nothing is known of him before he appeared in Spain where he pursued a successful career supplying altars, reliefs, and tombs, almost exclusively for religious clients. Although the works’ history remains unclear, the high quality of the pieces indicates a wealthy patron and probably an important commission perhaps for a convent of nuns. Designed to hold relics of saints, these works generally lost their relics when the statues were removed from their religious context. Thus, as in this case, they present difficulties in identifying the saints depicted. The works themselves, however, offer clues which lead to their identification as the Biblical sisters, Mary and Martha. If the first one depicts Mary Magdalene, the other woman might plausibly represent her sister Martha. As traditionally understood, the sisters embodied the contemplative and the active lives. Juni depicts Magdalene as an attractive woman, perhaps lost in religious thought. Martha, who on the other hand represents the active physical life, may have the pained look of one exhausted from her labors. Moreover the pairing of Mary Magdalene and Martha would be eminently suitable for an audience of nuns whose daily routine embraced both the active and the contemplative. Juan de Juni, Saint Martha and Saint Mary Magdalene. Polychromed wood and wax. ca. 1545

Have you seen our outdoor exhibition, Treasures on the Terrace: Highlights from the Hispanic Society Museum & Library, yet? Mounted on Audubon Terrace, and drawing on the museum’s world-renowned collection, the installation of large-scale photographic reproductions feature 19 works from Spain, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Peru dating from the 16th through the 20th centuries. The installation also features an audio component through QR codes, narrated by community voices and offer...ing further information and anecdotes about the art. Can't make it? That's okay - you can access full object information, related images, and the audio component on our website: https://hispanicsociety.org//treasures-on-the-terrace_hig/ Treasures on the Terrace is made possible through the generosity of Lorenzo Family Foundation and an anonymous donor, committed to making the Hispanic Society increasingly accessible. The Hispanic Society also gratefully thanks members of the community for their active involvement in the audio component, and Boricua College for its collaboration. Treasures on the Terrace: Highlights from the Hispanic Society Museum & Library September 24 December 6, 2020 Audubon Terrace at Broadway between 155th and 156th Streets Monday through Saturday 11am to 5pm; Closed on Sunday Admission is free; all visitors must wear face coverings; social distance of 6 ft. must be maintained; Personal headsets recommended for the audio component. Photography by Alfonso Lozano https://www.alfonsolozanofilms.com @alfonfon_lozano

Happy Halloween from the Hispanic Society Museum & Library!

Get ready to celebrate Día de los Muertos with the Hispanic Society on November 1st! All you’ll need is: *Cotton Swabs *Glue... *Scissors *Construction Paper *Colored pencils/crayons/markers *And, be willing to have a lot of fun with the amusing skulls of the Día de los Muertos! If you want to participate send an email to [email protected] and you will receive a surprise in your e-mail inbox November 1st!

With the recent acquisition of a portable writing desk and companion tabletop, the Hispanic Society now unquestionably holds the finest and most important collection of early barniz de Pasto lacquerwares of any museum. Mopa mopa, a translucent pale green natural resin, is the principal medium for the lacquerware generally known as barniz de Pasto, produced in Colombia and Ecuador. The elastic resin, stretched into thin sheets and then cut into shapes for the decorative figur...es and designs, comes from the leaf buds of the mopa mopa tree, native to the tropical rainforests of the mountains of southwest Colombia. The writing desk and tabletop display imagery drawn from Classical mythology, Renaissance, Mannerist, and indigenous sources. The decorative surfaces are populated with indigenous and Spanish hunters, dogs, wild boars, jaguars, deer, monkeys, birds, rabbits, and lions; intermingled with mythological beasts, such as satyrs, griffins, unicorns, and dragons; along with Mannerist cartouches and grotesque masks; all surrounded by Classical foliate and floral rinceaux. The interior of the lid of the writing desk depicts the symbols of the Stations of the Cross. What makes this writing box most remarkable is the unprecedented incorporation of the owner’s name on the interior front panel above the drawers, which reads: CAPSULA H(A)EC EST MARTINI DE TOLOSA (This box is the property of Martin de Tolosa). We know from Colombian and Spanish archival sources that Martín de Tolosa, was a cleric, priest, chief sacristan, and chapel master of the Cathedral of Popayán from at least 1630 to 1643, which explains the inclusion of the symbols of the Stations of the Cross on the interior of the lid. Based on this documentation, the writing desk now is the earliest known datable example of barniz de Pasto. Portable writing desk, Barniz de Pasto lacquer on Spanish Cedar with silver mounts. ca. 1630-1643. Tabletop, Barniz de Pasto lacquer on Spanish Cedar. ca. 1630-1643.

#ThrowbackThursday: We had lots of fun with Josefina and Reza last month! We took an imaginary journey with them on the longest elevator ride and virtually visited the Hispanic Society Museum & Library. We sang, danced, drew, met new friends and moved to the beat! How amazing is this piece they created?! Can you spot some of the works of art from the Hispanic Society's Collections in the windows? Swipe to check them out! @bilingualstorytellers

Mariano Fortuny y Marsal, Tangier. Watercolor on paper. ca. 1869

Recent Acquisitions: With these pictures made from paper negatives and dating from the 1850s, the Hispanic Society continues to strengthen its holdings of early photography. Included in the acquisition are shots of Seville, Granada, Lisbon and, surprisingly, two from the Holy Land. The set may have formed part of an album assembled during someone’s trip in the nineteenth century. The traveler and not the photographer probably supplied the English captions on each sheet since ...these texts mistakenly identify the door of the Convento de Jerónimos de Belém in Lisbon as one at the Seville Cathedral, an error the creator would never have made. We attribute the Spanish images and perhaps those from Lisbon as well to Francisco Leygonier y Haubert (18121882), a pioneer of Spanish photography. Comparisons with dated works by Charles Clifford (18191863) shows that these come from the late 1850s. Moreover, many images reveal the same framing and angle of view as others by Leygonier. Finally, several of those depicting the Seville Cathedral, the Royal Alcázar or the Casa de Pilatos were taken from the same positions that Leygonier used in other pictures which suggests that he made them all during the same session. As such, the set marks a significant acquisition. Born in Seville to French aristocratic parents, Leygonier returned to France where he received his education and then entered the navy. After leaving the military, he took up painting and photography in Bordeaux. He visited Spain in 1842 and 1845. He established himself as one of the first photographers in Seville where in 1851 he advertised daguerreotypes. He also taught classes in the new technology and later adopted the use of paper negatives. Not surprisingly, he came to the attention of the duke of Montpensier, Alphonse d’Orléans who also lived in the city and built up an extensive photography collection. Francisco Leygonier y Haubert (attributed) and others, set of 21 calotypes, ca. 18551860

Ruth M. Anderson, Group of girls and boy from La Alberca in regional costume, La Alberca, Autochrome, 1930

From New York to Houston: Did you know that our traveling exhibition, Glory of Spain: Treasures from the Hispanic Society Museum & Library, is currently on view at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston through January 3, 2021? Elaborate decoration of inlaid bone, ivory, and precious woods characterize luxury furniture in a style known as Mudéjar, influenced by Islamic art, materials, and techniques, but made outside al-Andalus for Christian or Jewish patrons. Because the term orig...inally referred to Muslims who remained in territories conquered by Christians, scholars and connoisseurs in the 19th century re-applied the word to describe this style that Muslim craftsmen and Christians working within this tradition developed under Christian rule. The Nasrid technique for decorating wooden objects with micromosaics of precious materials is known as taracea, from the Arabic tarsi for incrustation. By the 14th century, furniture with micromosaic incrustation was produced in Nasrid Spain, Italy, and Mamluk Egypt. As seen with other decorative arts, Mudéjar artisans brought this elaborate art form to other areas of Spain, including Barcelona, where this chest is believed to have been made. In the Spanish regions of Aragón and Cataluña, the micromosaic effect was simplified so that small pieces of ivory or bone were inlaid directly into a wide variety of furnishings. On the Hispanic Society chest, which is on view in the exhibition, the entire surface of the exterior and interior of the lid are decorated with pear and diamond-shaped bone inlays to create a brilliant array of geometric and interlacery patterns, not unlike those found in tile and textile designs of Nasrid Spain and its areas of influence. Based on its structure and size it may have been designed to hold valuables and dressing items, or even writing implements. Mudéjar Chest, Walnut and inlaid ivory, Probably Barcelona, 16th century