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José de Alcibar
Description
- José de Alcibar
- A Group of Eight Casta Paintings: (1) De Españól, y Negra, nace Mulata; (2) De Mulato, é India, nace Chino; (3) De Españól, é India, nace Mestiza; (4) De Sambaygo, é India, nace Cambujo; (5) De Españól, y Mestiza, nace Castizo; (6) De Cambujo, y Mulata, nace Albarazado; (7) De Indio, y Loba, nace Sambayga; (8) De Españól, y Mulata, nace Morisca
- (1) signed and dated 1778 lower left
(2) signed and dated 1778 lower right
(3) signed and dated 1778 lower right
(5) signed and dated 1778 lower left - oil on canvas
- each: 22 by 25 in.
- 56 by 64 cm
- Painted in 1778.
Provenance
Thence by descent to the present owner
Condition
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.
Catalogue Note
Carlos III, who ruled the Spanish Empire from 1759-1788, implemented dramatic reforms in Mexico to maximize the colony’s economic benefit to Spain, and to curb what was seen as a derelict and unproductive society dominated by racial “hybrids.” First among these reforms was a complete restructuring of the colonial administration which significantly diluted the power of the Church, allowing for rapid expansion of trade. Second was an increase in taxes and improved management of estancos: royal monopolies on products such as mercury, playing cards, salt, paper, ice cream, and tobacco. The impact of these new regulations and monopolies is evidenced in this group of castas, many of which not only advertise products like tobacco, but also depict scenes of commerce and daily life in Mexico City. In these works, Alcíbar uses the casta format to capture the contemporary moment, creating complex scenes of ordinary life, and portraying the rapid development of Mexico City and Mexican culture during this period of globalization.
The central composition of De Español, y Mulata, nace Morisca, unfolds against the charmingly rendered backdrop of the ancient floating gardens of Xochimilco. The canal system supporting these gardens, which originally supplied food for inhabitants of Tenochtitlán (Mexico City), were adapted by the Spanish as transport routes for agricultural goods but also as gardens for recreation. Alcíbar depicts a woman playing the lute as she is steered in a small canoe alongside bountiful floating fields and tradesmen, capturing the changing nature of the city and the close relationship between commerce and leisure.
In De Español y India, nace Mestiza, a Spanish gentleman examines goods offered for sale by an Indian woman and their daughter. The wide variety of textiles and styles of shoes depicted by Alcíbar indicates not only the growth of local production, but also the influence of developed trade routes with both the East and the West. As the central hub of the Manila Galleon trade, Mexico City benefited from the exchange of porcelain, silk, ivory, spices, and other goods from East Asia in exchange for South American silver.
The aesthetic influences of this exchange are visible in the elaborate silk and embroidered garments worn by many of the aristocratic figures in these paintings, but also in the everyday objects that are present in the background of the scenes. In the kitchen scene, De Español y Negra, nace Mulata, Alcíbar depicts the woman in a delicate white dress adorned with intricate blue floral patterning, evocative of the Chinese and Japanese ceramics that were fashionable at the time. On the table behind her, talavera bowls are stacked alongside Chinese-inspired blue and white ceramics, produced by Mexican artisans to satisfy increasingly cosmopolitan tastes.
Vibrant and delicately rendered, each individual work offers an elaborate portrait of colonial Mexican society. As a group, they range from moralizing to charming to perhaps satirical, and invite the spectator to closely observe each meticulously painted detail for its embedded meanings. Beguiling and complex, Alcíbar’s eight paintings offer a fascinating peek into the past.
(1) Ilona Katzew, Casta Painting: Images of Race in Eighteenth-Century Mexico, New Haven, 2004, p. 61