Inkstand set (recado de escribir)
- Alejandro Antonio de Cañas, Mexican
- Born: Acapulco, Mexico
Alejandro Antonio de Cañas, Inkstand Set, 1790-1818. Silver; 13⅝ × 6¾ in. Purchased with funds from Alianza de las Artes Americanas, 2019.871A-H.
By the 1700s, the art of writing was widespread among the upper and middle classes across Spanish America. Fine writing accoutrements became important status symbols among individuals who sought to showcase their wealth and education.
This Neoclassical silver inkstand (recado de escribir) includes an inkwell with a lid, a sandbox with an elaborately pierced cover, a lid for pounce (a fine powder used for drying the ink), and a quill holder placed on a small two-handled rectangular footed tray. The set bears the crowned “M” mark for Mexico City, the open-winged eagle mark for the royal fifth tax (quinto real), Alejandro Antonio de Cañas’s maker’s mark, and an assay mark for Chief Assayer Antonio Forcada y la Plaza (active in Mexico City 1790–1818). On September 27, 1786, Cañas was granted the title of master silversmith in Mexico City, where he set up his workshop and was active until the early 1830s. He was one of the most important silversmiths in Mexico City during the years that preceded the independence of Mexico. He was active in the silversmith’s guild, being elected inspector (veedor) in 1794 and reelected in 1804.
This inkstand showcases the virtuosity of Mexican silversmiths just before the independence, emphasizes the practice of writing in daily life, and reveals the importance of education during the Spanish age.
– Jorge Rivas Pérez, Frederick and Jan Mayer Curator of Latin American Art, 2019
