Name/Title
EngravingEntry/Object ID
1986.10.009Description
Engravings from "Histoire Generale des Ceremonies", Benard Picart. Engraving on paper. Amsterdam, Holland. 1720-1730.
Two views on one sheet.
Top view titled, "Desolation des Mexicains a la Fin du Siecle". (Translation, "Grief of the Mexicans at the End of the Age".) Depicts villagers who appear to be dancing around a fire. Expressions on faces are sad. A man is kneeling on one knee to the right side of the fire, pouring a liquid into it from a flat pan. There are pieces of broken pottery and dishes strewn over the ground. Two men in the left front of the view are holding up vessels as if they were about to smash them on the ground. A man on the right, behind them, is pouring a liquid on a fire which has mostly gone out. In the right background are buildings. In the middle, to the left side of the view are more villagers dancing. One woman is on the gound (middle). There are children in the scene. Mountains are in the right background. This scene seems to be at night.
Bottom view titled, "Rejouisances des Mexicains, au Commencement du Siecle". (Translation, "Rejoicing of the Mexicans at the Beginning of the Age".) Depicts villagers dancing, and apparently to be happy. They are on two levels. Those in the front of the view are on a lower level. There is a woman in a feather or leaf skirt with beads around her neck dancing with three other men and a mostly nude woman. They are holding hands. There are two children dancing in the bottom left corner. In the bottom right corner is a man playing two drums with curved sticks, another with a tambourine-like instrument, and one playing a horn. Behind all these people is a rise in the land. There is a tree on the right. On the land behind the tree are more villagers dancing, one playing some kind of pipe. On the left side is a building, possibly a temple, with an arched doorway. There is a palm tree; birds flying in the sky; two men near the temple door who could be priests.Artwork Details
Medium
Engraving on paper.Dimensions
Height
15-1/8 inWidth
9-3/8 inDimension Notes
Sheet: 15 1/8"x 9 3/8"
View:6"x 8 1/8"