Pair of Plates with the Arms of Francisco José de Ovando y Solís, 1st Marquis of Ovando

Pair of Plates with the Arms of Francisco José de Ovando y Solís, 1st Marquis of Ovando

1752
Artist
unknown artist
Country
China
Object
plate, ceramic
Medium
porcelain
Accession Number
2020.563.1-2
Credit Line
Funds from Ethel Sayre Berger by exchange

Unknown artist, Pair of Plates with the Arms of Francisco José de Ovando y Solís, 1st Marquis of Ovando, 1752,  Porcelain; 11½ in.  Funds from Ethel Sayre Berger by exchange, 2020.563.1-2.

Dimensions
diameter: 11 1/2 in, 29.21 cm
Department
Mayer Center, Latin American Art
Collection
Latin American Art
This object is currently on view

Starting in the late 1500s, Chinese porcelain became a key commodity of Spanish transpacific trade. From its production in Jingdezhen workshops in China, to trade with Spanish merchants in Manila, Acapulco, and Mexico City, porcelain became immensely popular across colonial society. It influenced the religious, artistic, and domestic life of Mexican society. Porcelain was sold in fair markets and used in churches and private homes. Among colonial elites, it became fashionable to order custom-made porcelain services decorated with family crests and coats of arms, a challenging enterprise that required not only a vast array of agents and merchants to handle the order, but also considerable financial means.

This rare pair of dishes were part of one of the two different sets ordered in China by Francisco José de Ovando y Solís Rol de la Cerda, first marquis of Ovando. Born in Spain in 1693, Ovando became governor of Chile between 1745 and 1746, and later was appointed Governor General of the Philippines; a position he held between 1750 and 1754. He died December 9, 1755 on board the galleon Santísima Trinidad when the ship was close to reaching its destination in Acapulco.

This set illustrates the journey of Chinese porcelain via the transpacific trade between the Philippines and colonial Mexico as well as the conspicuous consumption of luxury goods prevalent among colonial upper classes.

– Jorge F. Rivas Pérez, Frederick and Jan Mayer Curator of Latin American Art, 2020

Known Provenance
Purchased 2 June 2020 from (Francisco Escudero Anticuarios), Madrid by the Denver Art Museum. Provenance research is on-going at the Denver Art Museum. Please e-mail provenance@denverartmuseum.org, if you have questions, or if you have additional information to share with us.

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