Large embossed, chiselled and gilded silver jug... Lot n° 9

Large embossed, chiselled and gilded silver jug "jarra de pico". New Spain. Mexico. Second half of the 16th century. Magnificent example of Renaissance silversmithing, with a cylindrical body and circular base. The spout is topped with a figurehead, typical of the jugs of the time, and its handle is in the characteristic shape of the number 7. 19 x 20.5 cm. As far as the ornamentation is concerned, except in the upper frieze, which has decoration which is limited to gilding, there is a first incised border delimited by two parallel profiles that protrude. The lower body, studded with engraved decoration and six applied ribs, is topped by a lion's head. There is an inscription on the base: "so DE ALFERED DIEG MVRGVIA", alluding to the original owner of the jug. There are three examples of Mexican spouted jars from the same period that we can provide as a reference for comparison. Two are in the collection of the Lázaro Galdiano Museum in Madrid (inv. 2400 and 2503) and the third, kept in the Naval Museum of Madrid, is the one that seems closest to this one due to the engraved decoration on the lower body. It comes from the wreck of the ship "San Diego", sunk in 1600 off the island of Fortuna, Philippines; it is dated circa 1590, with inventory number MNM7518. In addition, it is very similar to one of the two spouted jugs that are included in the collection at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, which we find reproduced on page 463 of the “Enciclopedia de la Plata Española y Virreinal Americana”. Reference bibliography: - Fernandez, A.; Munoa, R.; and Rabasco, J. (1984). "Enciclopedia de la Plata Española y Virreinal Americana ". Published by the authors. - Lázaro Galdiano Foundation. (n.d.) "Jarro" http://catalogomuseo.flg.es/comunidad/museoflg/recurso/jarro/18b4f710-3f08-4fd0-a146-4ea83139d3c2 - Fundación Lázaro Galdiano. (n.d.). "Jarro". http://catalogomuseo.flg.es/comunidad/museoflg/recurso/jarro/d1ff8bfe-15be-4974-9b6d-0cdec8863413 - Museo Naval (n.d.). "Arqueología subacuática". https://armada.defensa.gob.es/ArmadaPortal/page/Portal/ArmadaEspannola/cienciaorgano/prefLang-es/01cienciamuseo--03colecciones--02fondos--05patrimonioarqueologico-es?showVolver=1