Artist: Unknown Date: 1725-1775 Location: Puebla, Mexico Materials and Technique: Tin-Glazed Earthenware and Iron Metalwork Dimensions: 38.1 x 27.9 cm (15x11 in.) Image Permissions: Public Domain, Courtesy of the Herbert Pickering Lewis Collection of Mexican Pottery at the Art Institute of Chicago, 1923.1537.
Chocolatero or chocolate jars were used in Mexico to store and protect valuable cacao beans. They were often made of tin-glazed earthenware and locked with an iron lid like this one. This particular jar was made in Pueblo de Los Angeles in the tradition of Talavera Poblana. The Talavera Poblana style is a product of the artistic exchange that occurred during the period of colonization and trade in the Americas, specifically Mexico. In this tradition, we see the creation of a melting pot of Indigenous, Spanish, and Chinese art traditions.
The Spanish tradition of Talavera pottery, from the region of Talavera de la Reina in Spain, was likely brought to Mexico by Dominican Friars who were trained in the style of decorating. Chinese porcelain made its way through Pueblo on its way to Europe where it was to be sold. Although we do not know much about the Pre-Columbian ceramic heritage of this region heritage, it is evident that indigenous peoples had a hand in making tin-glazed earthenware. Forming and firing techniques and clay recipes did not change after the conquest and colonization of Central America by the Spanish.
Sources Art Institute of Chicago, et al. For Kith and Kin: The Folk Art Collection at the Art Institute of Chicago. 1st ed., Art Institute of Chicago, 2012. B. B. “The Herbert Pickering Lewis Collection of Mexican Pottery: Gift of Mrs. Eva Lewis.” Bulletin of the Art Institute of Chicago (1907-1951), vol. 18, no. 5, The Art Institute of Chicago, 1924, pp. 58–59, https://doi.org/10.2307/4116030. Carswell, John, et al. Blue and White: Chinese Porcelain and Its Impact on the Western World. Gallery, 1985 Cuno, James B. The Silk Road and Beyond: Travel, Trade, and Transformation. Edited by Karen Manchester, Yale University Press, 2007. McQuade, Margaret Connors, et al. Talavera Poblana: Four Centuries of a Mexican Ceramic Tradition. Americas Society, 1999. Sánchez, Gilda Hernández. "Indigenous Pottery Technology of Central Mexico during Early Colonial Times". In Material Encounters and Indigenous Transformations in the Early Colonial Americas, (Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 2019) doi: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004273689_014
Author Bio: Rhiannon is a member of the graduating class of 2022 at Concordia College in Moorhead. During her four years at Concordia, she has spent her time studying Art History, Chemistry, and Music as well as participating in the College's choral program, working in the library and archives on campus, and taking studio art classes. After graduating from Concordia, Rhiannon will be attending graduate school for her Master's in Library and Information Science.