Ninteenth-Century Mexican Lienzo

A Nineteenth-Century Mexican "Lienzo" (Illuminated Document) featuring the Coat of Arms of the Conde de Salvatierra, Viceroy of New Spain from 1642-49. Unknown. Mexico, 19th century. A FASCINATING EXAMPLE OF THE ROMANTICIZATION OF THE AZTEC EMPIRE IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY MEXICO
Single sheet, in ink and colors, highlighted in gold, "amate" (fig-tree bark paper) paper Framed size: 46 1/2" x 32 3/4" Sheet size: approx. 40 3/4" x 26 3/4" Provenance: General Miguel Miramon (1832-1867), companion of Emperor Maximilian of Mexico, executed with him in 1867 at Queretaro; by descent.
This exceptionally rare, illuminated document (lienzo) represents a fascinating attempt by a nineteenth-century Mexican artist to revive the arts and practices of the Aztec Empire. This work was constructed out of amate, or fig-tree bark paper, and depicts, at its center, the magnificent coat of arms of Don Garcia Sarmieno de Sotomayor, conde de Salvatierra (viceroy of New Spain from 1642 to 1649). The large seal is flanked on each of its sides by two mythical creatures. Below these winged creatures are four throned figures who encircle a pool of water. Within the pool are representations of a seated male and female couple and a diving female figure residing in a small disc surrounded by fish. A cactus emerges from the top portion of the pool, providing a link between the water below and the coat of arms above. Immediately surrounding the cactus are depictions of a water god and sacrificial heart excision. All of these disparate elements were intended to affirm conde de Salvatierra's proprietorship over the lands represented by each of the outlying glyphs.
During the nineteenth century, many Mexicans struggled to establish a distinct national identity. As such, many of them started to take a renewed interest in the Native American traditions that rooted their civilization. In direct keeping with this trend, this document purposefully duplicates many of the elements found in pre-colonial titulos primordials, communal Aztec documents that portrayed historical events and delineated territories. For example, though most colonial lienzos, or illuminated documents, were painted on cloth, this one was painted on the more archaic support of tree-bark paper. The document also lacks any glossing inscriptions, the intended effect being to imply that it originated before knowledge of a written language. In addition, the four figures seated on thrones were intended by the artist to represent Aztec lords, while the place glyphs are of Mixtec style. The document also borrows images from well-known pre-Columbian and early colonial manuscripts, including the Codex Laux (Bodleian Library, Laud misc. 678) and the Codex Rios (Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana), which were both published by Lord Kingsborough between 1831 and 1848, suggesting that this manuscript was produced after these dates.
This vibrant and colorful manuscript represents a remarkable example of a nineteenth-century Mexican artist's attempt to glorify Native American ancestry and to give it an added element of European legitimacy. It is an an utterly unique composition.