19th Century. Continuities and Ruptures

Arrieta's "pantries" (re)present food in abundance, reserved for the wealthy classes in nineteenth-century Mexico, but also the eclecticism of Puebla's gastronomy and its material culture. Another notable element in the painting is the deer head. The inclusion of animals in Arrieta's still lifes is frequent. Sometimes they appear alive, such as parrots, hens, pigeons, rabbits and cats, and sometimes dead such as chickens and plucked hens, fish, partridges and deer heads, as is the case of this work.

On the tablecloth of a table that goes beyond the edges of the canvas, there is a fruit bowl in the center, full of fruit: mamey and pineapple showing their juicy pulps, two limes, a granadilla, a fig and a guava. The neutral and dark background accentuate the color and textures of the fruit, vegetables and the various objects on the table, which are illuminated by an indefinite light source from the left side that projects the shadow of some of them onto the base of the table. 

Given its formal and decorative characteristics, this marquetry desk corresponds to the style called First Napoleonic Empire. It can be supposed that bronze applications were brought from Europe (handles with urns of classic descent, female busts, feet and keyholes in the form of rams), but the piece of furniture was possibly made in Mexico at the end of the 19th Century, or the beginning of the 20th.

Chests, trunks and boxes were indispensable pieces of furniture in colonial and nineteenth-century wardrobes. In the nineteenth century, those from this last population were decorated with motifs from national history, flags, eagles, city and property views, among others. In general, when speaking of gifts, they display anagrams with the owner´s initials or inscriptions that acknowledge the gift. Such is the case with this chest.

  Frame for an Agnus Dei wax mounted on a wooden support. Lance-shaped, there is a glazed window in the center in the form of an oval that houses the white wax block. Among lateral sprays of roses, flowers and fallen leaves in relief and chiseled, the medallion, with a valance of palmettes raised on the edge, is framed by a beveled trim that wraps into a tubular form on top, unfolding symmetrically on either side in separate opposing scrolls. 

Inkstand with three recipients on an elliptical salver-like tray, supported by four winged claw feet with a feathered crest made up of sheets and scrolls. The center of the pen box, which has four holes in the corners, boasts a cast and chiseled relief on its front alluding to the founding of the imperial capital of the Mexica: the eagle of Tenochtitlan grasping a snake in its beak. Perched on a prickly pear, it is accompanied by a bow and quiver placed at its feet.  

Cup or coco chocolatero (cup used to serve chocolate drinks made from the fruit of the calabash tree) with an ovoid calabash fruit body whose surface has been completely covered using sgraffito with an incised vegetal decoration made from zigzag fretwork and horizontal bands with undulating leaves and stems. This type of piece is specific to the Guatemalan area, and carved with the seed from a tree found in Central America called the Calabash.

These pieces have been widespread in Mexico since the eighteenth century, the mancerina consisted of a central or circular well in the center where the gourd bowl, small vessel, usually earthenware, that was used for drinking chocolate was placed and secured.  Its petals are trimmed by an elliptical plate which is superimposed in its center and, following the widespread custom of record the name of the owner of the piece, it carries the incised initial M.A.O. As is customary, the mancerina is incomplete, since neither the cup nor the gourd bowl that were part of the set have been preserved.

It could be Saint John, one of the apostles and an evangelist. According to Hector Schenone, it became customary from the sixteenth century onward to dress this saint in a green robe and red cloak, although the origins of this practice were unknown. He usually appears young, in a multitude of scenes from the life of Jesus. He accompanied Christ at the Wedding at Canaan, was present at the Transfiguration and in the Garden of Olives.

This sculpture of San Isidro Labrador contrasts with the habitual representations of the holy farmer, since it is not the manner by which he is usually identified. His unusual attire and the absence of his attributes give him an exceptional singularity.

As L. Arbeteta points out, the reliquary lockets and devotional medallions and plaques, as well as crucifixes, were favored by the devout in Spain and, by extension, in the Spanish Indies. Therefore, lockets may or may not contain relics. When the cherished illustrations are of a devotional subject, they are called, by extension, reliquaries.

A fairly common type in the New Spanish and Mexican jewelry since the seventeenth century is the elliptical locket with windows on the front and back, and a silver-colored or gilded silver fastening frame with a ring on its upper side for fastening and hanging, which may or may not be perpendicular to the frame. Their representations show illustrations or miniatures inspired by the Baroque paintings from New Spain, captured in oil on paper or metal sheets, although the inability to access its interior prevents us from corroborating it fully.