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Baptismal Font

Baptismal Font

Currently unknown artist or artists

The pairing of Incan-style feathers and European symbols, including the Spanish royal coat of arms, on this baptismal dish speaks to the cultural mixing that occurred in colonial territories. Indigenous metalsmiths in colonial Peru excelled in adapting their skills and local imagery to European forms. Unfree Indigenous and African laborers excavated about eighty percent of the world’s silver between 1500 and 1800 from mines controlled by colonial interests in present-day Bolivia and Mexico.
Artist/Maker
Currently unknown artist or artists
(Peruvian)
Title
Baptismal Font
Date
probably 18th century
Material & Process
Silver, cast repoussé, chased, pierced, and engraved
Dimensions
9 1/8 x 17 x 19 1/2 in. overall
Credit
Carolyn T. Anderson Endowment Fund and Leslie and Johanna Garfield Fund
Inventory No.
2022.22
Classification
Metalwork
Location
Peru

Related

1970s, sold at auction (Argentina) to private collector (USA); 2022, sold by Robert Simon Fine Art (New York, NY) to the Chazen Museum of Art

  • Rodriguez, Belgica, Lenore D. Miller, and Barbara von Barghahn, eds. "Temples of Gold, Crowns of Silver: Reflections of Majesty in the Viceregal Americas." Washington, D.C.: George Washington University, 1991. p. 56

  • Resource & Ruin: Wisconsin’s Enduring Landscape: Chazen Museum of Art, 12/19/2022–3/26/2023

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Information about artworks presented here may not reflect the most current research. Chazen staff update records as new details emerge; please verify independently for scholarly use and notify us of any errors.