Polycrhome jicaras with golden foil (front view)

The jicaras were bowls without handles of Mesoamerican origin, adopted after the Spanish conquest also in Europe for sipping coffee and chocolate. Jicaras start being produced even in areas where the consumption of cocoa was not widespread. Gold leaf and floral motifs are introduced in the already refined traditional decoration, based on waterproof lacquers in vivid colours. In these jicaras from the Settala collection, the floral decoration with a European flavor combines with the geometric motifs typical of the indigenous taste, obtained in relief by engraving the band under the edge before applying the gold leaf.