The Asian Influence on American Arts

The Manila Galleon Trade Route was not only used to transport merchandise, but also cultural and artistic ideas. In Latin America, the demand for Asian goods was so great that, in many viceroyalties, a local production was begun that was heavily influenced by Asian art.

In terms of administration, the Philippines formed part of the viceroyalty of New Spain, whose capital was Mexico City. Apart from political relations, they also established commercial and cultural relations that would later be reflected in the arts.

The galleons carried people, merchandise, and luggage. The Philippines was a cultural meeting point, and its capital Manila was the port from where the galleons set sail.

They transported a variety of objects, from spices such as pepper, clove, and cinnamon, to silks, porcelain, marble, lacquer, fans, furniture, and decorative objects. In many cases, the final destination was Europe, via vessels on the route to the Indies which set sail from the port of Veracruz and docked in Spain.

Trading in merchandise—both artistic and functional—enabled the populations of the American viceroyalties to learn about and appreciate oriental products.

On arrival in Mexico, many of the products were sold in the market of El Parián, named after the original El Parián market in Manila.

The demand for Asian goods was so great that, in many viceroyalties, a local production was begun that was heavily influenced by Asian art, as demonstrated by these objects made in New Spain.

In the viceroyalty of New Spain, lacquer was obtained from a mixture of animal fat, vegetable oil, mineral powder, and pigments, as seen on this tray.

This typifies the capacity of the American viceroyalties to absorb different cultures. Tangible examples of this are the chest and bowl included in this section, coated in Pasto varnish (a resin extracted from the Mopa-Mopa tree).

The influence arrived in Cusco, where this Peruvian kakemono with the image of Our Lady of Monte Fariña was painted. It was later sent to Spain, as indicated on the painting label.

Chinese craftsmen began the production of marble images with Christian iconography for the Portuguese in Macau or Canton in the mid-16th century.

When the Spanish arrived in the Philippines, they began to trade with these images from China.

In light of the high demand, the Chinese merchant craftsmen, known as Sangleys, opened numerous workshops in Manila, where they produced Christian images in marble.

These sculptures were sought after for their use in evangelizing and religious education, both for public worship in churches, and in private.

Images of Saint Rose of Lima—the first saint of the Indies and patron of Lima and Peru—were highly sought after for worship throughout the Americas, the Philippines, and the East Indies.

The saint, with her Dominican habit and crown of thorns, has very characteristically Asian features, including wide, half-closed eyelids, a folded bottom section, short fingers, and square fingernails.

These "enconchados" contain a layer of paint with fragments of mother of pearl, on a plaster base, which is applied to a wooden backing, and usually covered with canvas. These items were produced in Mexico between the mid-17th and 18th centuries.

The court of the viceroy and its surroundings played a fundamental part in the dissemination of artistic objects.