Anonymous, Mexican Colonial School (18th Century)

Jesús (Chucho) Reyes Ferreira, Guadalajara
Galerías La Granja, Mexico City
Acquired from the above by the present owner 1969
Enrique Corcuera García Pimentel, Mexico City

Mexico City, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Biombos Mexicanos, 1970, no. 19, p. 121-23, illustrated and discussed

Casas & Gente, La Revista Internacional de las Cosas Bellas, vol. 14, no. 138, p. 27, illustrated in color; also illustrated in color on cover
Xavier Moyssén, et. al., Obras maestras del arte colonial. Homenaje a Manuel Toussaint (1890-1990), Mexico, 1990, pp. 148-150, illustrated in color

Please contact the Latin American Art Department for a Condition Report of this lot.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The art of the Biombo (screen) reached one of its highest flowerings in colonial Mexico. From medieval times, screens were used in Europe to shield against the heat of fireplace or the draughty homes in cold climates. The name for a screen in in French, paravent(for winds), perfectly describes its use there. In colonial times, Mexico was the nexus between the West and the East. Chinese silks, porcelain and spices from Indonesia were shipped across the Pacific from the Spain's colony in the Far East, the Philippines, on the legendary Manila galleons to Acapulco in Mexico. Once in Mexico,  goods were taken overland to the Caribbean and loaded on ships at Veracruz. The ships sailed on to Havana and then across the Atlantic to Spain. Amongst the cargo of these treasure ships were Chinese and Japanese screens, richly ornamental works of art with fantastical scenes of figures, flowers and a floating world of patterns. The Asian screens were sometimes embellished with mother of pearl and often with gold leaf.

The Mexican empire of colonial times was strongly influenced by these Asian imports. So much was imported that when they were excavating the subway in central present day Mexico City, the most often found objects were bits of Chinese pottery. The Asian screens changed the decoration of Mexican screens and most importantly  inspired a non-religious genre of painting. In the 1600s screens often depicted historical scenes but as time went on, they depicted the life of the upper classes at play providing a window into life at that time. The present Biombo is a very rare example depicting hunting and a country lunch, framed by golden arches.

This magnificent example was originally in the collection of Mexican connoisseur, collector, painter and decorator Jose Reyes Ferreira, familiarly known as "Chucho Reyes". A renaissance man, Chucho was one the most influential tastemakers of his time. At the turn of the century Mexican upper class homes were decorated in a French style. With the Mexican revolution of 1910, tastes began to change and a re-evaluation of Mexico's rich history made it's way into the more Avant-garde homes. The trend of exalting the Mexican is seen in the art of Diego Rivera and the clothes of Frida Kahlo, but it was Chucho Reyes who appreciated and saved for future generations the great objects of the colonial past, mixing them with folk art, the silver spheres seen in so many Mexican houses, while displaying them in a modern ambiance. His style, sense of proportion and light would give way to the architecture of Barragan and Legorreta.