The Washington herald., 1908-01-05
ART WORK In MEXICO
Rare Paintings Found in the
Churches There.
SOME OLD SPANISH MASTERS
A MuriIIo In the Cathedral OF the
Capital City Has Been Highly
Praised-A Titan Also There About
which There Has BeeR Dispute.
Other Treasures Are known.

It Is impossible for art lovers in the
/ United States If they have never visited
Mexico to believe that this new old neigh
/ Dor IS a treasure house of art. The ex-
listence of old masters in Mexico has been
more tabled than real in our minds. and
many have smiled at the credulity of the
Iunlearned masses of this embryonic re-
public. 1t is true that the unquestloning
majority know nothing and think moth
| ing OF a picture except what the padre
/ tells them, but il must be remembered
/ that the men who rule the destinies of
Mexico are educated, travelled. cultured
! in the schools and universities OF the
Old World, and are eminently capable
of appreciating the fine arts. Further
more. says a writer in Modern Mexico.
they are all Catholics. and hence are I'M
bued with the traditional reverence for
religious art that we cannot wholly COM
prehend 1t might be said that this very
reverence would incapacitate them as im-
partial critics Of this art, but be this as
/ II may, it has served a purpose in
valuable to the student of to-day.
The church was very rich in the seven
teenth century and amply able to send
works Of art OF great value to Mexico and
other colonies 1t was also the period
when art hourished at its best In Spain
when Murlllo lived, and Seville was a
great art center.
Need Paintings for the Indiana.
The missionary priests in Mexico soon
/ discovered that the Indians were not able
to comprehend the spirit Of the Christian
religion and that they must substitute
/ pictures and images OF the Christ for the
heather gods and idols they were trying
/ 10 supplant Churches converts. and
Ichapels were multiplied rapidly after the
conquest and IL became a piOus duty,
often emphasized by an order OF Cortez.
TO bring paintings and statues Of saints
TO the New World
/ From about the year 1860 there lived In
Mexico for fortg years two artists who
were skilled copyists and imitators. These
were Baltasar Echave and his wife,
| known as La Sumaya They painted Ia
both the Italian and Dutch styles ana
Behave often initiated Titan fairly well,
Other Spanish artists who emigrated 70
this country and lived and painted here
throughout the seventeenth century es-
tablisbed what is known as the Old MeXi-
can school and left many good works
many so good that it is not easy to es-
tablish their identity and distinguish them
| from the Old World work
The Mexican School Of Art, now called
the San Carlos Academy, was established
I Of ri al
In 177S and has survived throughout many
vicissitudes. 1t contains fine collection
of paintings Of the Old Mexican school
and a number Of originals from European
painters. Among the latter there ST.
Sebastian" by Van Dyke; "The Seven
/ Virtues" by Da Ninci; The Fail Of
Man" by Michael Angelo; st Cathe-
rine," by Guido; portrait of MurillO. by
Valasquez; Burial OF Christ. by Rubens
/ CunfnisheO; st John the Bapust," by
Ingres; John of the Lord by Murillo;
Olympic Plays" by Vernet, and many
/ fine copies. OF the modern school there
are many meritOriOus Mexican paintings
illustrative Of important historical scenes
Holy Family by MuriIIo,
In the Cathedral Of Mexico City there IS
Holy Family by Murillo hung in the
choir concerning whose authenticity There
seems 10 be no question. The mother and
child are about three-quarter size and the
prevailing color IS a luminous cream.
with touches OF gold and brown.
/ In the dark sacristy the visitor IS shown
three Raphaels under glass and on the
walls two immense but atroclOusly mutt
lated pictures attributed TO Va!asquez.
one of the most interesting stories al
ways current IN Mexico art circles con-
Germs the famous Titan at the village Of
Tzlntzuntzan. Many attempts have been
made to purchase this picture. but all
have been unsuccessful The Cathedral
of Mexico would give a large sum for it.
and so. Of course. would the San Carlos
Academy. but the priests OF the dilapi-
dated church, where it hangs in a poorly
lighted ROOM guard it jealously. More
over Ii is supposed that their lives would
/ not be safe from the wrath of the Indian
worshippers should they permit the paint
I ing to disappear.
The painting Is IS feet long by high,
/ and represents the entOmbing of Christ.
In the upper Ieft-hand corner is the char
acteristic bit of Italian sky and land
scape There is no proof that Titan
painted this picture except its own beauty
and rare excellence, and the tradition
which has never wavered in the 500 years
/ and more that If has hung In the old
church at Tzintzuntzan. The room that
holds it is about thirty by twenty feet
and has but one outside opening, an un-
glazed window, protected by a triple iron
[ grating on the outside and double wooden
| shutters on the inside. Every time these
are opened the fresh air has irgress to
the room, and this fact may have had
much to do with the preservation of the
painting for the old, tightly closed
churches of Mexico are always damp and
moldy.
Believe II Titan.
A few capable judges of art and style
who have seen the Titan agree without a
dissenting voice that it is at least worthy
of the master. In further substantatioh
of the claim that it is a Titan we are
told by biographers that the artist went
to Spain about the middle of the six
teenth century and was highly honored
by the king Just at that time power
full effort was being made to strengthen
the bishopric of Michoacan. the principal
ity of which Tzintzuntzan was then the
| Capital OIte VI the liiOSl llLuSitldt DiSl-
ops of the times in Mexico was Quirogo
Of the Church of San Francisco in the
capital, and head of the See of Michoa-
can. What could be more probable than
| that Charles sent one of the paintings
of Titan, then in the royal palace at
Madrid, to aid his appontee in an I'M
| portaRt blshOpric in Mexico?
| It is altogether possible that in one OF
the many compartments of the old chest
of drawers that stretches across the en-
tire width Of the room below the painting
might be found d priceless document
| that would tell the. story of the wondrous