Ornamental Breastplate
Unidentified maker, Spanish Colonial Alto Peru (near current-day Potosí, Bolivia), 18th century
probably 18th century
Silver
Overall: 8 7/8 × 11 1/8 × 1/4 in. (22.6 × 28.2 × 0.7 cm)
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Purchased through the Harrington Silver Fund, including gifts from the Estate of John H. Mudie, Class of 1949, in memory of Ernest Martin Hopkins, Class of 1901
2019.36
Geography
Place Made: Bolivia, South America
Period
1600-1800
Object Name
Personal Adornment
Research Area
Americas
On view
Label
This lightweight, silver breastplate portrays the 1572 marriage between Inca princess Beatriz Clara Coya and Martín García de Loyola, a Spanish soldier whose uncle founded the Jesuit order. Beatriz was “offered” to Martín as a reward for having captured and killed her uncle, Túpac Amaru. Martín grasps Beatriz’s wrist with considerable force, claiming her body and wealth. In doing so, he asserts Spanish control over Incan lands.Beatriz wears traditional Incan clothing and holds in her right hand a spindle, which symbolizes her as a carrier of royal female lineage. She is surrounded by her servants, one of whom holds a feathered parasol—an object associated with high social rank. This breastplate was likely worked in Potosí, which is in current-day Bolivia, and worn for public display by those who claimed Incan royal descent.
From the 2023 exhibition Liquidity: Art, Commodities, and Water, curated by Michael Hartman, Jonathan Little Cohen Associate Curator of American Art
Course History
ARTH 28.01, Global Renaissance, Elizabeth Kassler-Taub, Fall 2021
Art History 20.04, Faith and Empire, Beth Mattison, Spring 2023
First Year Student Enrichment Program - Cultures, Identities and Belongings, Francine A'Ness, Summer 2023
Exhibition History
Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, CA. Cambios: The Spirit of Transformation in Spanish Colonial Art. April 10–May 12, 1992.
Liquidity: Art, Commodities, and Water, Israel Sack Gallery and the Rush Family Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, July 29, 2023-June 16, 2024.
Publication History
Gabrielle Palmer and Dr. Cristina Esteras Martín in Cambios: The Spirit of Transformation in Spanish Colonial Art. Santa Barbara, CA: Santa Barbara Museum of Art, in cooperation with University of New Mexico Press, 1992, 65–66, cat. no. 45.
Provenance
Private Collection; with Marion Hamilton (dealer), Winters, California; sold to present collection, 2019.
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