Local Color: The Visual Analysis of a South American Colonial Lacquered Gourd from the Collection of the Hispanic Society Museum & Library

Summary

This is an abstract from the "From Materials to Materiality: Analysis and Interpretation of Archaeological and Historical Artifacts Using Non-destructive and Micro/Nano-sampling Scientific Methods" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The Hispanic Society has a small but very fine collection of colonial Spanish American lacquered objects, which are decorated with one of the more widely known indigenous lacquer techniques, barniz de Pasto. The Hispanic Society’s objects date from the 2nd quarter of the 17th century to 1800 and were made using native materials and techniques for a European aesthetic which mimicked Asian lacquer and demonstrate the extraordinary craftsmanship of these anonymous artisans whose techniques are still in use today in Colombia.

Using only inexpensive and readily available lenses for a smart phone, this study of a mid 17th century barniz de Pasto gourd in the collection analyzes the decorative elements and hopes to identify their sources to show that artisans regularly substituted local flora and fauna in place of the stylized motifs in Asian lacquer as well as incorporating designs from European sources into these ornate objects. Relying on original sources as well as analyses conducted on similar pieces, the study will also identify pigments used to create the lustrous effects.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• From Materials to Materiality: Analysis and Interpretation of Archaeological and Historical Artifacts Using Non-destructive and Micro/Nano-sampling Scientific Methods   •
• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 22850