Photo of collection object Figure of an Angel
Figure of an Angel, probably 19th century. Silver and glass, 8 1/8 x 2 3/8 x 3 3/8 in. (20.6 x 6 x 8.6 cm). Museum Expedition 1941, Frank L. Babbott Fund, 41.1275.218. Creative Commons-BY.

Figure of an Angel

probably 19th century

Maker Unknown

Decorative Arts

THE APARADOR
Throughout colonial Spanish America, collectors of all heritages acquired luxury objects of diverse origins and displayed them in crowded groups. Aparadores, or small display cabinets with glass or wire-mesh doors, were set against the walls of the estrado and used to exhibit a variety of precious objects, in emulation of the fashionable European curiosity cabinets.

Asian or Asian-inspired pieces were extremely popular and included objects such as Chinese vases or American-made pottery vases in the Chinese style, Asian objects in hard stone, and Chinese porcelain figurines, especially Chinese guardian lions (Fu-dogs). Also on view were aromatic earthenware from Tonalá, Panama, and Chile, which sometimes were mounted in silver; glass objects; small alabaster or ivory religious figurines and plaques; gold and silver objects, especially those with animal designs; silver-filigree artifacts; coral branches or seashells mounted in gold or silver; carved coconut shells mounted in silver; and small religious images.


EL APARADOR
En la América colonial española, coleccionistas de todos los estratos sociales adquirían objetos suntuarios de diverso origen y los exhibían en grupos abigarrados. Emulando a los gabinetes de curiosidades europeos de moda, los aparadores, o pequeñas vitrinas con puertas de vidrio o de malla metálica, arrimados a las paredes del estrado, se usaban para exponer una gran variedad de objetos preciosos.

Piezas asiáticas o de inspiracíon asiática eran sumamente populares e incluían objetos como jarrones chinos o jarrones de cerámica americana al estilo chino, objetos asiáticos en piedras duras y estatuillas de porcelana china; entre estas últimas destacaban especialmente los leones guardianes chinos (perros Fu). También se exponían vasijas de arcilla aromática de Tonalá, Panamá y Chile, ocasionalmente montadas en plata; objetos de vidrio; pequeñas estatuillas religiosas y placas decorativas de alabastro o marfil; objetos de oro y de plata, sobre todo aquellos con diseños de animales; artefactos de filigrana de plata; ramas de coral o conchas marinas montadas en oro o plata; nueces de coco talladas y montadas en plata y pequeñas imágenes religiosas.

Maker/Artist
Maker Unknown
Classification
Sculpture
Formatted Medium
Silver and glass
Medium
silver, glass
Dimensions
8 1/8 x 2 3/8 x 3 3/8 in. (20.6 x 6 x 8.6 cm)
Departments
Decorative Arts
Accession Number
41.1275.218
Credit Line
Museum Expedition 1941, Frank L. Babbott Fund
Rights Statement
Creative Commons-BY
Dominant Colors

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