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an old wooden bowl with a decorative design on itan image of a decorative bowl with a bird on itan old wooden bowl with a painted design on ita decorative tray with a picture of a bird on itantique cast iron soap dish on white background with brown patt
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26 - Carved and lacquered wooden batea (maque technique). Mexico,…

Estimate €1,500 - €2,000
Sale commission
Description
Carved and lacquered wooden batea (maque technique). Mexico, probably Guerrero (Olinalá). 18th century. 7 x 38 x 17.5 cm. A small oval-shaped wooden batea, carved and decorated using the traditional Mexican lacquer technique known as maque, retaining a rich polychrome decoration set against a dark ground. The interior features a composition of strong indigenous character, organised around a central bird depicted in profile, surrounded by stylised vegetal motifs and a succession of anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figures arranged in the manner of a narrative frieze. Executed in shades of red, ochre, green and gold, the decoration reveals a remarkable formal synthesis and an ornamental vocabulary rooted in ancient indigenous traditions that continued throughout the viceregal period. On technical and stylistic grounds, the piece may be associated with the lacquer production of southern Mexico, particularly the workshops of Olinalá (present-day Guerrero), renowned for the quality of their work on wood and for preserving iconographic repertoires of pre-Hispanic origin reinterpreted during the colonial era. Beyond their utilitarian function, bateas of this type constituted an important artistic medium within the decorative arts of New Spain, valued both for the richness of their materials and for the originality of their decoration. The present example is distinguished by the expressive strength of its iconography, the age of its workmanship, and the preservation of an attractive historical patina. The historical and artistic significance of this type of object is reflected in the recent exhibition Bateas Novohispanas. Una Encrucijada Cultural (Viceregal Mexican Bateas: A Cultural Crossroads), organised by the Museo de América in Madrid and devoted to the study and dissemination of Mexican viceregal lacquerware. The exhibition brings together some of the finest bateas preserved in Spanish collections and highlights the importance of these objects as products of the encounter between indigenous traditions, Asian influences and European contributions within the artistic culture of New Spain. Although smaller in scale than the large ceremonial bateas preserved in museum collections, the present work shares with them the use of indigenous-rooted iconographic repertories and the characteristic decorative language of traditional viceregal Mexican lacquerware.
About the sale Dialogues with the Past: Vestigia
Auction location
Auction time 07/02/2026 at 7:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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