Frame for an Agnus Dei wax mounted on a wooden . Lance-shaped, there is a glazed window in the center in the form of an oval that houses the white wax block. Among lateral sprays of roses, flowers and fallen leaves in relief and chiseled, the medallion, with a valance of palmettes raised on the edge, is framed by a beveled trim that wraps into a tubular form on top, unfolding symmetrically on either side in separate opposing scrolls.
It rests on a bracket made up of a cornice with a slight overhang and valance on its facade of lanceolate ovals and rosettes at the ends, held by tendrils of acanthus in an "S" shape that opens in the center to outline an oval medallion halved by cast ornamental braces, with intertwined ribbons and pinion on the lower corner, marking the axis of symmetry.
Its upper end finishes in a composite capstone of resplendent beveled rays (the lower ones being the longest in a design similar to that of the neoclassic monstrances of the sun made in Mexico since the late eighteenth century), which radiate out from the central emblem with the figure of the Lamb of God's standard bearer, who lays sleeping on a bed of clouds with two little heads of cherubs. The Agnus wax makes the presence of this symbol relevant.
Originally from the city of Rome, the purpose of such medallions consecrated with the printed figure of the lamb and images of saints, together with the name and the coat of arms of the Pope (often on the reverse side), was to protect those who possessed or carried them from all evil influences. They were made with wax mixed with chrism and were blessed by the Pope at a special ceremony during the first year of his pontificate and every seven years thereafter. [1] Taken from prints and engravings, the wax reproduces in this case the evangelist Saint Mark on the front, bordered by the shaved inscription SAN MARCV EVANGELISTA, accompanied by the inscription on the foot of the name of the Pope: PIVS. VI P. M, whose pontificate lasted from 1775 to 1799.
In various forms, the design of the frame, basically made up of an elliptical medallion among floral sprays and the ends of the rays that burst from the capstone, was applied in Mexico, within the so-called "Tolsa style" and from around 1800 onwards, to different typologies: frames for paintings and miniatures, baptismal fonts, mirrors and even altar cards, lecterns and paxes; [2] this model can essentially be traced to the famous medallion with the bust of Carlos IV chiseled by the poblano silversmith Jose Luis Rodriguez Alconedo in 1794. At the same time, its ornamental language of neoclassical inspiration and rigorous axial symmetry fully meet the standards imposed by the Academy of San Carlos following its founding in 1785. Worked in embossed and chiseled silver plate, the burnished and deft relief ornaments stand out on the matted surfaces of the backgrounds.
Thanks to its complete stamping system we can classify the piece quite precisely. The fact it originated from the capital is certified by the presence of the location stamp on the republican version after the consummation of Independence: "M" under a small "o" and without a royal crown. Cayetano Buitron acted as assayer, whose incumbency lasted from 1823 to 1843, not only did he print his personal stamp (BTON), but also stamped the work with other marks of his office: that of the location and corresponding tax (the eagle in flight). The stamp of the craftsman, which includes the surname TORRE on a single line, helps us identify its creator. According to Anderson, it belongs to Mariano de la Torre, teacher of academic training who was showed a great deal of professional activity during the first third of the nineteenth century. [3] Born around 1764, he reached mastery in 1799. Attesting to the extensive production of his foundry, active at least until after 1836, with an open silversmith's shop in the first block of Plateros Street in Mexico City, are the many pieces that have been found with his personal stamp: printed on a fountain of the church of Tacoronte (Tenerife); in a set of cruets and salvers from the Siguenza Cathedral (ca. 1790-1818); two sets of dishes from the Franz Mayer Museum (ca. 1815 and 1830); in a baptismal font and a door of the tabernacle of the same museum (ca. 1819-1823); and in a chalice, a ciborium and a basin at the Museum of Tepotzotlan, printed alongside those of the assayers Antonio Forcada Assayers (1790-1818), Joaquin Davila (1819-1823) and Cayetano Buitron (1823-1843). [4] Given that Buitron began his career in 1823, the frame of the Amparo Museum could therefore be dated around 1830 or thereabouts.
[1]. Cf. Thurston, 1907; Egan, 1993: pages 65-71; and Bazarte Martinez, 2004: pages 127-143.
[2]. Cf. Anderson, 1941, II: fig. 146; Valle-Arizpe, 1941: figs. 91, 94, 96 and 97; Esteras Martin, 1989: pages 342-343, nº 107, pages 368-369, nº 120; 1992: pages 270-271, nº 106, pages 272-273, nº 108; pages 276-277, nº 110, and pages 310-311, nº 135; AA VV, 1994: page 87, nº 176, page 108, nº 236 and 237, page 109, nº 249; and AA VV, 1999: page 140, OR/164.
[3]. Esteras is somewhat reserved in attributing this stamp to Mariano de la Torre, because we must not forget that there were other contemporary silversmiths with the same name: Juan Manuel de la Torre, examined in 1760; Francisco, an officer in 1792; and Jose Maria, ed as a silversmith in the 1811 census at 26 years old. Cf. Anderson, 1941, I: pages 255-256 and 425; and Esteras Martin, 1992: pages 303-304, and note 2.
[4]. Esteras Martin, 1992a: page 83, nº 212a; page 84, nº 216; page 89, nº 230; y 1992: pages 303-304, nº 129, and pages 304-305, nº 130; AA VV, 1999: page 133, OR/156, page 137, OR/161, and page 164, OR/195; and AA VV, 1997: pages 292-293, nº 150; Esteban Lopez, 1993, I: page 215, figs. 7-8, and pages 216-217.
Sources:
AA VV, La Plateria Mexicana, Mexico, INAH, 1994.
AA VV, Plateria Novohispana. National Viceroyalty Museum Tepotzotlan, Alma Montero (Coord.), Mexico, Asociacion de Amigos del Museo Nacional del Virreinato, 1999.
AA VV, Tesoros de México. Oro precolombino y plata virreinal, Sevilla, Fundacion El Monte, 1997.
Anderson, Lawrence,El arte de la plateria en Mexico, 1519-1936, New York, Oxford University, 1941.
Bazarte Martinez, Alicia, “La coleccion de Agnus Dei del Museo Soumaya”, in Santuarios de lo intimo. Portrait in miniature and reliquaries. The Soumaya Museum collection, Mexico, Telmex, Soumaya Museum, 2004, pages 127-143.
Egan, Martha J., Relicarios . Devotional Miniatures from the Americas, Santa Fe, Museum of New Mexico Press, 1993.
Esteban Lopez, Natividad, “Plateria mejicana en Guadalajara”, in Actas del VIII Congreso del CEHA, volume I, Merida, Editora Regional de Extremadura, 1993, pages 213-217.
Esteras Martin, Cristina,La plateria del Museo Franz Mayer. Obras escogidas. Siglos XVI-XIX, Mexico, Franz Mayer Museum, 1992.
_____, Marcas de plateria hispanoamericana. Siglos XVI-XX, Madrid, Ediciones Tuero, 1992a.
_____. “Plateria virreinal novohispana. Siglos XVI-XIX”, in El arte de la plateria mexicana. 500 años, Mexico, Cultural Center for Contemporary Art, 1989, pages 79-406.
Thurston, Herbert, “Agnus Dei”, in Enciclopedia Católica, vol. 1, New York, Robert Appleton Company, 1907.
Valle Arizpe, Artemio de, Notas de Plateria, Mexico, Polis, 1941.
