[Carta confirmatoria de hidalguía]
Contributors: Martínez Orejón, Francisco.
Published: 1600
Language: spa
Number of pages: 74
Subjects: Martínez Orejón, Francisco.; Martínez Orejón, Magdalena.; Martínez, Ferrán -- Portraits.; Nobility -- New Spain.; Titles of honor and nobility -- Law and legislation -- New Spain.; Legal instruments -- Mexico -- Mexico City -- Early works to 1800.; Illumination of books and manuscripts, Mexican.; Manuscripts, Spanish -- Washington (D.C.); Mexico -- History -- Spanish colony, 1540-1810.; New Spain -- Charters, grants, privileges.; Spain -- Charters, grants, privileges -- Early works to 1800.
Genres: Portraits.; Early works to 1800.; Charters, grants, privileges.; Charters, grants, privileges
Other titles: Muy Poderoso Señor, Francisco Martínez Orejon en el pleyto con Martín Lopez Arenchu sobre mi nobleza y lo demás; Carta executoria
Notes: Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress Web site.
Ms. created "en la Ciudad de Mexico."
Sebastián Vizcaíno's record of testimony offered between 1597 and 1600 to prove the noble status of his wife, Magdalena Martínez Orejón, and her brother, Francisco Martínez Orejón. The king of Spain's representative confirmed the claim in 1598. Vizcaíno was a prominent Mexico City merchant and explorer of Baja California. The proofs of nobility were important to defend Vizcaíno's brother-in-law in a lawsuit that put him in debtor's prison.
Signed at end in various hands "en la ciudad de Mexico a veýnte y seis dias de el mes de febrero de mill y seiscientos años, siendo testigos ..."
Text is written in an italic style in black ink within ruled frames on both sides of leaves of paper. A few words and phrases are lettered in red. The paper appears to be without watermarks. The first page of text has a wide frame with hand-colored foliate decoration. The first word is illuminated in gilded capitals on a large field of blue, red and gold paint. Six large illuminated initials, most with gilding, begin major sections of text. Words or phrases in capital letters begin minor sections, and flourishes complete lines. Frames and beginnings of sections are decorated with blue and red dots of paint. Predominant colors in illuminations are blue, red, and green.
Iron gall ink in heavily ruled borders has "rusted" through a number of leaves.
Two leaves of illuminated miniatures on vellum are bound in at front with illustrations facing. The first leaf has two half-page miniatures. The upper illustration shows Mary with the Christ Child surrounded by clouds over a landscape. The lower illustration is of Christ speaking to a saint in a Franciscan habit in what appears to be the same landscape. The full-page miniature is a full-length portrait of the Martínez family patriarch, Ferrán Martínez, in full armor and with eyes fixed on the family coat of arms. Each portrait is within a double-ruled frame decorated with flourishes. Colors are purple, green, red, blue, brown, white and yellow with minimal gilding.
Front and back panels and spine of the contemporary Mexican tooled leather binding laid down on a new full black leather binding. Blind tooling on original front and back panels forms concentric rectangles, the decorative roll incorporating a medallion with portrait in profile. Gilt decorations are flowers and sprigs with a central filigree medallion with pascal lambs above and below. All edges red.
Not listed in Seymour de Ricci's Census of medieval and renaissance manuscripts in the United States and Canada or its Supplement.